Beyond Antares
by Ellabee15
Summary: Captain Mike Lawson needs to handle training a bunch of officers right out of the academy. It doesn't help that the scrutiny of Star Fleet command is on his back due to the unusual nature of one of his new crew members. Ginny Baker is the first half Romulan member of Star Fleet. It hasn't been easy gaining the trust of those around her. Pitch Star Trek AU
1. Chapter 1

AN:

This takes place in the original ST timeline. Not the reboot.

An overview of the Star trek species that are mentioned in this fic.

Terran (Just means human, specifically, born on Earth)

Vulcan- pointed eared green blooded species from the planet Vulcan. Suppress all emotion in the pursuit of logic

Romulan- pointed eared green blooded species from the planet Romulus. Distant relatives of Vulcans who left after the society gave up being warlike. Heavily militant power structure, they are enemies of the Federation.

Betazoid- telepathic species from the planet Betazed.

* * *

"How are you doing, Mike?"

Mike squinted at the view screen in his ready room. Vice Admiral Luongo was giving him a knowing look. How was he doing? He was trying to hold together a deep space star base, despite the fact that Star Fleet Command had decided to throw a photon torpedo in his crew roster. "Great question Al." He pretended to be thoughtful. "Well let's see, I've got a crop of new officers fresh out of the academy who I need to whip into shape in a mere 3 weeks before a Romulan delegation stops off on our base on their way to the renegotiation of neutral zone boundaries with Star Fleet command." He leaned back in his chair. "I'm peachy."

"That's the spirit, Lawson." Al said. "On the bright side you've got a pretty interesting crop of officers."

He was talking about Ensign Baker. Of course; everyone in the quadrant was. He was trying to suss out how Mike felt about the newly graduated officer. Well he wasn't getting anything out of him. He hadn't met the girl yet. He wasn't going to judge her based on rumor.

"Can I ask you something?" Mike said. "I looked over her aptitude reports and by all rights she should be serving on a Starship, maybe even the Enterprise... I hear they're finally building a new one." He stopped. Al gave him a look. They both knew the answer, Mike just wanted someone at Star Fleet command to own up to it. For all of the Federation's talk of inclusion and tolerance, prejudice was still rampant. All that Al would say in acknowledgement of his implication was "keep an eye on her."

Mike's eyes narrowed, they didn't even know what type of officer she'd be yet. "I"m assuming you mean the same amount of scrutiny I'd give any officer under my command?" He asked. Al nodded.

"Exactly." The Vice Admiral seemed to relax. "As long as we see to eye to eye on this."

Somehow Mike knew they did not. He ended the transmission feeling sick. Leaving his ready room, he went into ops. The entire bridge fell silent, looking at him intently.

"What?" He said. "I know I'm handsome, but if this keeps up, you'll make me blush."

"We're being hailed by the USS Billings." Lieutenant Tommy Miller said.

The Billings was carrying the new Cadets from the academy. Mike nodded. "Tell the captain that docking station 17 is available to them." He walked over to the main command station. There was a silence. He sighed heavily, looking around him. Everyone was hyper focused on their work, fooling no one.

"Alright." He growled. "Listen up. You've all heard the rumors and I want it made exceptionally clear that the only thing I care about is how well someone works as a Star Fleet officer. Any of you forget that, and you'll have me to answer to. Understood?"

"Yes Captain." The answer was an irritated rumble. It hadn't changed anyone's mind. He knew it, but he needed it on the record that he'd said it.

"Good." He said. "I'm going to docking bay 12 to greet the new recruits. Commander Sanders, Lieutenant Commander Slater. With me." He walked over to the turbo lift. His first officer and chief communications officer followed. He let the turbo lift go for a bit before stopping it. Turning to Blip he said. "You know...Ensign Baker, right?"

Blip nodded. "And before you ask. Whatever you've read in those reports...she's better." Mike nodded, the clenching in his gut loosening. Turning, he ordered the turbo lift to continue.

"It was well said, Captain."

Mike looked over his shoulder at the his Vulcan communications officer. Amelia was staring forward.

"You addressed the issue without making direct reference to it." She continued. "It is a show of guile that a Cardassian would be proud of."

Mike grimaced. "A Vulcan compliment." He said. "Somehow they make me feel worse."

"The issue?" Blip scowled at him. The Vulcan didn't flinch, but then again why would she.

"That's how the crew interprets it." Amelia said.

"Ginny Baker is not an issue." Blip said. Mike looked at the ceiling.

"In and of herself, no." Amelia said. "If she proves herself as proficient as her Academy records suggest I believe we will be fortunate to command one of the best officers in Star Fleet...However, there will be those who will not be able to look past what she is." The turbo lift stopped. "I will not be among that number...nor will I tolerate any officer acting in such a way."

Mike nodded. He led them towards the docking station. He sighed when he caught sight of another member of his senior staff standing in front of the docking station doors. He glanced over at Blip before saying "Doctor, I didn't know we moved sick bay."

Evelyn Sanders gave him a smile. "Captain, what a coincidence that you be here."

"Cut the crap, Ev." Mike said.

"Fine." Evelyn sighed. "Ginny's a friend and I wanted to make sure she has at least one friendly face when she comes off."

Mike sighed. The doors opened. Mike smiled at the captain of the Billings. "Captain Janeway." He nodded at her. "You're delivering the fresh meat."

Janeway nodded, stepping aside. "I'm afraid I can't enjoy too much of your hospitality. I have orders to go pick up an ambassador from Betazed to help with the Romulan treaty negotiations." Some officers filed off. 2 humans, the second of which was wearing a red command uniform and smirked as he looked Mike up and down, as though assessing an opponent. Mike didn't like him already. Then she walked off. Ensign Genevieve Baker. 23, top of her class at the academy, born on the Terran lunar colony. Species: half Terran Half Romulan.

She held her head high, challenging anyone to say anything to her. She could almost pass for a Vulcan with her pointed ears, but...the eyes. Her eyes were alive, burning and determined. She had too much fight to be a Vulcan. A quality, he realized, that if she were a human, he'd find positive. She was watching him watch her. He tore his gaze away, taking the pad that Blip handed him. "Alright, officers." He said. "Here are your room assignments."

* * *

Ginny watched as Captain Lawson read off assignments. She'd been put to serve under Lieutenant Cara Syrax who ran stellar cartography. It was unsurprising, as a command officer she'd have to learn all the different operations of the ship. She was being started on cartography. She was relieved that Blip was there. He'd been a teaching assistant to one of her classes at the Academy during her first year there. And Evelyn. The doctor was practically brimming with excitement, no doubt wanting to hear everything that had happened since they'd last communicated. Ginny kept her expression neutral.

Then there was Captain Lawson. She couldn't believe that out of all the possible assignments she was going to serve under Captain Lawson. He'd become kind of legend at the Academy, having saved the majority of a freighter crew attacked by the Orion syndicate by piloting through a mined asteroid field left over from the days when the Federation was still in conflict with the Klingon Empire. He'd been promoted to Captain and sent to command this starbase. He looked quite different from the images of him she'd seen in the press videos. The beard was new.

"Your duty shifts are going to be found in your quarters." He said. "Welcome to Deep Space 7."

Livan smirked over at her. "Looks like we're going to be neighbors, Mami." He swaggered down the hall. She was about to follow when-

"Ensign Baker." Captain Lawson said. She froze, looking over at him. "I'd like to talk to you for a second."

She waited as the others left. Blip and Evelyn seemed like they wanted to stay, but Captain Lawson cleared his throat and they left, muttering promises of dinner in their quarters to her before walking away. It was just her and Captain Lawson.

"At ease, Ensign." He said. She put her bag on the ground.

"Captain Lawson."

"Ginny Baker in the flesh." He said. "The entire quadrant's been buzzing about you. You have no idea how many captains are bringing their ships by because they...just happen to be sector." He sighed. "I know it isn't because of me. I'm a bit of a narcissist so you can see how irritating it is."

"It's an honor to meet you, Captain. I find you inspiring, I wrote a paper on you-"

"Stop." He held up a hand. She fell quiet. "It makes me feel old and makes you look stupid."

"You're not old." She blurted out. "You're only the second youngest person ever to be promoted to Captain in the history of Star Fleet." He'd been 34 when he'd been promoted. The record was 32. He raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason you wanted to talk to me?" She winced as he examined her. Insubordination on the first day was not a good look. She was about to apologize when she noticed his gaze lingering too long on her ears. Anger sparked. "Just so you know. I'm not a Romulan spy. I'm not planning on overthrowing the Starbase and I have 0 intention of using my feminine wiles to ingratiate myself to senior staff members and force them to do my bidding. I'm here to be a star fleet officer, that's it."

He gaped at her. She picked up her luggage and was about to go find her quarters when he called out. "I didn't dismiss you, Ensign Baker."

She froze.

"That was a particularly specific list of things you aren't planning on doing." He said. He didn't look angry, she noted as she turned around. In fact, he looked slightly amused. She relaxed slightly.

"You'd be surprised what kind of insane things people can accuse you of when you're different." She mumbled.

"Well you're only the second most fascinating person I've had under my command." He said. "So no worries."

"Second most?" She asked.

"Yup." He said. "I once had a joined Trill whose former host used to be a lounge singer for a Klingon outpost." He looked at her. "Face it; you're downright boring." He looked at her. "Point is, as long as you can do the work, I have no problem with you."

"Thank you Captain." She said slowly. He nodded.

"See you at 800 hours at Ops, Ensign Baker." He smirked. "That is if you haven't used your feminine wiles to enslave us all by then."


	2. Chapter 2

Ginny quickly recognized that there were certain advantages to serving on a deep space station. This far out, many strange and interesting species came to the station and most of them were too busy to remark on the Romulan in Federation clothes. If anyone gave her more than a passing glance, they dismissed her as a Vulcan or a Vulcan human hybrid. She didn't mind. It also helped that Lieutenant commander Slater, an actual Vulcan, seemed to have taken...well she wouldn't call it a liking, but an interest in her.

"How does a Vulcan end up with such a human name?" Ginny asked Evelyn one day when she came into sick bay for lunch.

"She's part human." Evelyn said.

"Like Ambassador Spock?" Ginny had always been interested in the story of the Vulcan ambassador. His entry into Star Fleet had caused all sorts of scandal in his time. Ginny had always felt a sort of kinship with the now elderly official, though she'd never actually gotten the opportunity to meet him. Evelyn shook her head.

"Not exactly." She tapped her fingers. "Her grandfather is human. He died the year she was born and in honor of him, his half Vulcan son gave her her human great grand mother's name" She turned from the screen she was looking at to face Ginny. "It was all embarrassingly emotional."

"But Vulcans can't feel embarrassment." Ginny pointed out. Evelyn smirked.

"Are we stereotyping Vulcans now?" She asked. "You know as well as I do that they ignore their feelings. Believe me, Amelia feels, she just doesn't show it." Evelyn punched an order into the replicator. "So. How's ops."

"Miller has it in for me." Ginny mumbled. Evelyn bit her lip. "Not." Ginny added quickly. "That I need you to talk to him for me."

"Please, I learned well enough the last time that you stick up for yourself." Evelyn said.

At that moment, the door opened and Mike Lawson walked, sporting a bloody shoulder, his shirt smoldering and hanging open on one side.

"Coolant leak in engineering." He grunted, motioning to his bare side. He sat in the chair, before turning his gaze on Evelyn and Ginny.

"Convenient that it destroyed your shirt." Evelyn said. "And that you probably had to walk through the entire station looking heroic and disheveled."

"Your husband already gave me the speech, Evelyn." He smirked. "Fix me, I'm bleeding."

"Uh huh." Evelyn said.

"Come on, Ev." Mike smirked. "Blip's not here, you can get some of this."

"Opps to Sickbay." Miller's voie called out. "We've got an unexpected collapse. Nothing too serious, but we need you, doctor."

"Acknowledged." Evelyn said, getting up.

"Doctor." Mike said and for just a second, Ginny noted a flicker of panic cross the captain's face. Evelyn rolled her eyes.

"Captain, all this needs is a quick once over with the dermal regenerator." She motioned to Ginny. "I think Ensign Baker can handle it."

"But-" Captain Lawson protested, but before he could say any more, Evelyn was walking out of her office, the doors swishing closed behind her. Ginny turned and looked through Evelyn's desk. Pulling out a dermal regenerator. Holding it up, she said.

"I won't bite." She mumbled, walking over to him. He huffed.

"For the record." He said as she passed the regenerator over his shoulder. "It's not because you're...you know that I don't want you to do this." He grimaced. "It's because you don't have a medical degree."

"You can say Romulan." She sighed. "It's not like your tongue will burn or anything."

Lawson grunted. "When you're done with that shoulder." He said, "there's..." he shivered. "There's another injury."

Ginny was about to ask, when he gingerly lifted his arm and she bit back a hiss. There was a burn. A burn so terrible she was shocked that he had been capable of walking to sick back. She examined him closer as she passed the regenerator over his mottled flesh. He was sitting extremely still, his jaw clenched and a thin layer of sweat was beading at his hairline. He shifted under her examination, his mouth pressed into a line.

"I'm used to pain." He ground out.

Ginny gulped, pushing the ruins of his uniform shirt away from the wound. Pressing her fingers to his side, she slowly ran the regenerator over the wound. It took a bit longer to fix the burn. When it was over, Lawson slumped, showing for the first time how badly he'd been affected by his injuries. He leaned closer to her fingers, seeming to take comfort in her touch. A sense of calm seemed to flow through him. Ginny didn't know how to react. Pulling back, she moved away, her fingers shaking as she pulled the drawer out of Evelyn's desk to put the medical tool away. She could feel Lawson's gaze on her, the tips of her ears growing warm.

"Huh." He said.

"Yes captain?" She asked, pushing the drawer closed and turning towards him.

"No, it's just...I knew Romulans had green blood, like Vulcans, but...I've never seen what it looks like when one of them blushes."

"I was not, blushing." Ginny snapped. He tilted his head. Nodding, he jumped off the bio bed and walked over to the replicator. Ginny looked anywhere that wasn't his bare skin. There was definitely some kind of regulation against this. After a couple of minutes, Mike cleared his throat. She glanced over at him. He tugged at the bottom of the edge of crisp new uniform shirt.

"Thank you Ensign." He said, before sweeping out of the office.

* * *

"So." Blip said as he sat down to eat dinner with Mike.

"What?" Mike said, eyeing around the station's restaurant for any new visitors to the station.

"Ev mentioned that you came into sick bay with a pretty bad burn." He said. "How are you feeling?" Mike stabbed at the plate in front of him.

"I'm good." He said. Blip seemed skeptical. Mike sighed. "I'm serious, Blip. Nothing was broken. Ensign Baker fixed me up well. I could throw down with a Klingon targ."

Blip shook his head. "Now I know you're not okay." He mumbled. Mike took a swig of the synthale in front of him and grimaced. He couldn't wait for shoreleave. Techincally, alcohol was permitted on station and restrictions regarding senior officers were more lax than those on a star ship, but that didn't mean that as Captain he wasn't expected to set an example.

"Ensign Baker?" Blip said innocently. Mike's eyes narrowed as he looked over at his friend. He had an alternative motive.

"Yeah, Ev had to run to ops." He shrugged. "Baker waved the dermal regenerator over and voila. New man."

As if summoned by his words, Ensign Baker walked into the restaurant. All around conversations lulled before picking up again louder and more insistent than they'd been before. On her part, Baker didn't seem surprised, hell she looked around, daring someone to say something to her. Walking over to the bar, she sat down, grabbing a menu and refusing to look around her. Mike looked away, turning to Blip.

"Romulans aren't touch telepaths like Vulcans, right?"

"Do I look like a Romulan anatomy expert?" Blip asked.

"No." Amelia's voice rang out. Mike jumped.

"Jeez, lieutenant commander, do I need to put a bell on you?" He grumbled, glaring down at his plate.

"That would be extremely undignified." Amelia sat next to them. "And the answer to your question is no. Though there is suspicion that they could have latent telepathic power." She frowned. "Though if they do its because of lack of practice. Vulcans dedicate a lot of energy to the study of mind melding." She tilted her head, looking at Ginny with interest. "Has Ensign Baker showed signs of telepathy?"

Mike thought of Ginny's fingers on his side and the warm feeling, the way he'd been relieved, not only at the loss of pain, but at the sight of his newly healed skin. Which had been strange, considering that he wasn't looking at it...but Ginny had been. The way the tips of her ears had flushed green told him that she'd sensed something amiss as well.

"No." He said. "I was just curious." He shrugged. "Trying to learn new things."

A quick glance at both Blip and Amelia's faces told him that he hadn't fooled anyone, but that they weren't going to pursue the issue.

* * *

"So, what can I get you?" A voice said, pulling Ginny's attention away from the menu in front of her. She looked up. The bar tender was a young Trill and she was smiling. Ginny bit her lip.

"Something strong enough to make me forget I'm a freakshow?" She suggested.

"How about a Klingon knockout?" The trill asked. Ginny arched an eyebrow.

"Never heard of it."

"That's because it's a cocktail of my own invention." The Trill replied. "Klingon bloodwine mixed with Raaktagino and a bit of an earth drink called tequila." She smirked. "I hope you're off duty, ensign."

Ginny couldn't fight the smile that formed over her face as the bartender turned and began mixing the drink. "Won't being seen serving me lower your tips?"

The Trill shrugged. "I don't care." She looked over her shoulder. "Would it be creepy to say that I've kinda been hoping you come in here?"

Ginny tensed. "Why?"

"I think you're interesting." The Trill said, pushing the drink in front of her. "I'm Cara, by the way. Cara Syrax. And considering that I have 3 other voices bouncing around in my head, I'd say I know something about being a freakshow too." She shrugged. "It's hard to make friends with someone when you dated their mom..." She scrunched her face. "Or their grandmother...and grandfather." Ginny let out a small laugh, picking up the glass. Taking a sip she coughed as the alcohol burned down her throat.

"That's amazing."

"Ah ha." Cara pointed to her face as the corner of her mouth ticked upwards. "She smiles. She's capable of it."

Ginny rolled her eyes, taking another sip. Cara was treating her like...like she wasn't afraid that Ginny would snap and murder everyone in the bar.

"Ensign Baker." Her com cracked to life and Miller's voice jolted her to attention. Ginny winced, sighing before answering.

"Baker here." She said.

"You're needed at ops." He said. "Get here, now."

Ginny stood, grateful that her metabolism burnt through alcohol fast. "Guess I'm needed." She mumbled. Cara nodded.

"I'll see you around, Ensign Baker." She said.

Ginny smiled. "Call me Ginny."


	3. Chapter 3

Miller was making Baker's life hell. Mike knew it, but the younger officer was smart enough to not do it where he could see. Baker's pride kept her from seeking help. It was after the fourth time that she walked into ops with a slightly green tinge to her face, indicating lack of sleep, that he decided it was enough and called her into his ready room. He didn't miss the way Miller smirked, no doubt believing that Mike actually thought his less then complimentary reports about her were accurate. Sonny, who was actually her supervising officer, had practically gushed about her in each report he filed, so Mike didn't take too much stock in what Tommy said.

She walked in, still and tense; her back straight and her head held high.

"At ease, Ensign." He said. She relaxed slightly, her eyes darting around the room. As ready rooms went it was unique; the designer had, for some reason, believed that a Captain should know that they were in space at all times. To that effect, half of the wall and a large part of the ceiling were made of a reinforced transparent polymer that mimicked glass. Some people found it disorienting, Mike liked the view. For her part, Ginny didn't seem to be scared or awed by the view. She seemed...curious. Mike recognized that look. Ginny was an explorer. She should be out there, serving on a starship, hell she deserved it. She'd been sent here to test her loyalty to the Federation. Starfleet command had probably believed she couldn't do too much damage here, which was insulting to say the least. Mike liked to pretend his station had a bit more pull in Federation matters.

"Like it?" He asked. Ginny tore her eyes away from the expanse of darkness and stars.

"Doesn't it get distracting?" She asked.

"Only at around 21 hundred hours." Mike said. "The station's rotation means I have full view of the neighboring nebula." He glanced outside. "The colors are unbelievable."

Ginny nodded. "I can see it from my quarters sometimes." She glanced up at the ceiling. "But it must be different from in here." She murmured before seeming to remember where she was. "You asked to see me, Captain?"

Mike nodded. "Can you explain to me why Ensign Duarte took a swing at a commanding officer." Neither Miller nor Duarte had reported the incident, and Mike had only heard it because one of the bartenders, Cara...something, had filed a complaint.

Ginny shook her head.

"Baker, it's no secret that you and Duarte are friends." The other Ensign had already gotten a reprimand for improper language calling Baker Mami while on duty. The nickname had made Mike's gut twist in a way that he wasn't sure what to do with, and yet he was sure there was nothing romantic between them.

"I'm failing to see-"

"Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me you have no idea what might have inspired Duarte to risk a court martial?" Mike cut her off. She glanced at the floor.

"Permission to speak freely?" She asked. He nodded. "You can't ask me to tell you this."

"I'm pretty sure this." Mike indicated the rank pips on his collar. "Says I can."

"Captain, if I ran to tattle every single time a commanding officer pulled rank to bully me, I would never have been able to get any position. No one likes snitches." She frowned. "I don't need anyone's help or protection, Captain. I've been dealing with assholes my entire life, in and out of uniform."

Mike blinked. "I wasn't...this isn't me being protective, Baker. This is me attempting to prevent brawls from becoming a regular occurrence on my station." He was snappish and defensive. So his motives were probably closer to Ginny's assessment than he felt comfortable with. He wasn't going to admit that. Ginny's eyes pierced through him and he knew she hadn't bought it. He looked away. "But just so we're clear, I know that Miller's being a jerk and the second I have proof, I'm going to reprimand him."

Ginny shrugged. "That's your call." She said.

Mike shook his head. "Do you enjoy being insubordinate?"

"It has its uses." She retorted.

"It has its uses, Captain." He corrected, but he couldn't help the smile that broke over his face as she snuck a glance at the view again. "keep it up and maybe I'll give Duarte the spot on the away mission I'd planned to give you."

Her attention was fully on him. Her eyes widened and a flicker of excitement flickered in their brown depths. Mike grinned.

"Ah, so that's how to get you quiet."

"An away mission?" She breathed. "But I've only been here a week and a half."

"No time like the present to get your feet wet." He shrugged. "Better you get training on a simple away mission where most of the variables are controlled than in the middle of a crisis." He motioned to the door. Ginny gave him a small smile and he noted the barest hint of dimples in her cheeks.

"Thank you, Captain." She said, turning and walking to the door.

"Don't thank me, Baker." He said. "This isn't a favor. You earned this. Now prove that I didn't make a mistake.",

* * *

,

* * *

It was a simple away mission. They were flying to a planet that was next to the nebula. It was an uninhabited class M that the Federation had set up a small research colony. The goal was understanding the effect of the Nebula on the atmosphere and the various plants and animals on the surface. The scientists and their families lived in an enclosure. Ginny was about to leave her room when her eyes fell on the head wrap on her bedside. It was the one she wore when she'd gone out with friends at the academy. It was easier than explaining who and what she was. Especially because people tended to have violent reactions to her parentage. She hesitated. On the one hand, she had the uniform. It carried with it a type of authority that she didn't have at the academy. But...that didn't mean it was enough to negate the prejudice of her more obvious Romulan features. She grabbed it, walking out the door.

Captain Lawson was waiting with Evelyn and Lieutenant Commander Evers. She nodded. The Captain nodded, going back to his conversation with Evers. Evelyn's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of what Ginny had in her hand. "You can't be serious."

Ginny ignored her. "Is the shuttle ready?" She asked. Captain Lawson nodded, opening the shuttle bay doors. Ginny took a seat in the back of the shuttle. Evelyn sat next to her.

"Give it to me, right now." She growled.

"Ev-"

"Ensign Baker." Sonny interrupted. "Captain wants to see how you fly."

Ginny dodged Evelyn who made a grab for the head scarf before going to sit in the co pilot's seat. Lawson was there, leaning his elbow on the console.

"Run us through the pre flight checks, Baker."

She hesitated, glancing at his casual position. "I would..." She said slowly. "But your elbow is on the torpedo firing button. I turn this on and you blast a hole in the side of the station." Lawson grinned.

"Good job." He pulled off the console. "Wouldn't want that now would we." He motioned to the controls. "Go ahead." His eyes fell on the head scarf. He didn't say anything but she caught him clenching his jaw.

They were about halfway to the planet before he broached the subject. "That a new fashion trend I don't know about?"

She glanced at the fabric in her lap. "Think of it more as a means of self preservation." She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see pity or worse, approval in his expression.

He grunted. "You're choosing your words." He muttered.

"I am..." She said. "Doing that." Images of negative memories flashed before her eyes. She kept her eyes on the view screen in front of her, helping steer the shuttle into the outer atmosphere of the planet.

"Landing sequence." He said.

She input the code. The shuttle began descending. Lawson motioned toward a docking bay on the outer side of the compound. It opened and they guided the shuttle in.

"The air on this planet is a bit hot." Mike said. "So no one is allowed outside of the compound for more than 2 hours. After that, the moisture leaves your body and you well...what's a nice way to say shrivel up and die?"

Ginny fiddled with the head scarf before pulling it on. Covering her ears she adjusted it before looking at Evelyn, Evers, and Lawson, daring them to say anything. Evers ducked his eyes. Evelyn looked pissed and Mike...Mike had an inscrutable expression on his face. His eyes bored into her head. He turned, looking towards the door of the shuttle.

Mike walked out of the shuttle, shoving aside his reaction to seeing Ginny's ears covered up. There was a history there, she'd probably been discriminated against too many times. She shouldn't have to hide. Focusing on the mission, he smiled at the approaching head of the research committee. This was the part of being Captain he hated the most: the formal small talk.

"Hi." He said. "Captain Mike Lawson of-"

The lead researcher looked frazzled. "We need your help." She said. "The children are missing."

"The...children." He said slowly.

"My daughter and Dr. Malekeith's son. They found a crawl space and it leads outside." She seemed distraught. "We don't know how long they've been out there, and they don't have protective suits." She lead them over to the crawl space tears streaming down her face. She was distraught. Mike led her off to the side, putting his hand on her arm.

"I'll have my officers, begin a sweep." He looked over his shoulder. "Baker, I-" He frowned. Ginny was nowhere to be seen. Sonny looked as surprised as he was and Evelyn...she was extremely interested in a spot on the ceiling. "Tell me she didn't." He glared at the door to the crawl space that had noticeably moved.

Evelyn looked over at him. "You read her academy records. You know that she once broke 13 different regulations to rig a transporter to take her up to the roof to save a puppy someone had put up there as a joke." She shook her head. "Ginny doesn't like people being in harm's way."

Mike ran a hand over his beard, pressing his com badge. "Baker, you better not have left this compound or I swear-"

"I have higher tolerance for heat, Captain." She said. "I was the logical choice."

"Logical..." He huffed. "If I had wanted logic spouted at me, I'd have brought Amelia. Get your ass back here right now so we can come up with a plan."

"I have a tricorder." She continued, ignoring him. "The kids don't have that long."

"Baker." He warned.

There was a crashing noise on her end and the com went dead. Mike glared around him.

"When she gets back, I'm throwing her in the brig for a week."

Evelyn shook her head. "No you won't."

"Excuse me?" Mike said.

"Don't act like you weren't 2 seconds away from crawling in there yourself." She walked back over to the shuttle, grabbing her medical kit. "She's right about one thing, though. Ro-" She froze, glancing at the head of the science station before lowering her voice. "Romulans have higher heat resistance and she's stronger. She's the obvious choice to go looking for the kids."

35 minutes 27 seconds. That's how long it took Ginny to get back to the station with the kids and damn right he was counting. She'd shaved that many hours off his life. He practically ran to the decontamination room. She was standing there, two almost unconscious children in her arms, yet she'd barely broken a sweat.

"What is she?" The head researcher, Lyra, asked.

Mike frowned at her.

"Right, I know that's not...correct to ask, but..." She trailed off as the decontamination procedure finished and the door was unsealed. Rushing to her daughter, she took her from Ginny's hands. "Thank you." She gushed. "I can't even begin to thank you for saving her." Ginny nodded, her eyes meeting Mike's. She at least had the decency to look guilty. He was going to make sure everyone saw him yell at her, but...he was man enough to admit he was pretty proud of her.

Ginny smiled and held out the boy to his father. The boy clung to her, grabbing onto her uniform in an attempt to stay with her...and he grabbed her head scarf and pulled it off. There was an audible gasp. He could see the scientists around him doing the math; pointed ears, green tinge; all pointed to being a Vulcan. But she'd smiled at children. He could tell the second they put it together. The father wrenched the boy away from Ginny while Lyra backed away in horror.

"Romulan." The word was hissed. Ginny stiffened, her eyes blank, her jaw set. The boy's father pulled the head scarf out of his son's hand and threw it at Ginny's face before wiping his hand on his shirt. Ginny didn't even flinch. She turned to Mike.

"Permission to wait aboard the shuttle craft, captain."

He nodded, watching her walk back to the shuttle bay before turning to glare at the assembled people. "You wanted to know what she is?" He snapped at Lyra who was hiding her daughter behind her back as though she was afraid Ginny would come back and grab her. "She's the person who just saved your children."

* * *

,

* * *

Mike, Evers, and Evelyn were quiet when they got onto the shuttle. Mike went straight to the controls, doing the pre flight prep. He was angry. She looked at her hands. She waited until the shuttle had left the planet's atmosphere before going to stand next to his chair.

"What's my punishment?" She said.

"Huh?" He pulled his gaze away from the view screen.

"I jumped the gun." She said. "I'm pretty sure my actions today constituted some form of insubordination."

He snorted. "It's becoming a habit." He shook his head. "I'll rotate you to the night shift for the next couple of days."

Ginny frowned. "You don't have to go easy on me."

"Excuse me?" Mike turned and gaped at her.

"You don't have to go easy on me because of what happened back there." She said. "I know it was uncomfortable-"

Mike looked at the ceiling. "Evers, take the controls." He said, standing. Motioning for Ginny to follow him into the back of the shuttle, he crossed his arms. "This isn't me going easy on you Baker. You're not getting special treatment because I feel sorry for you."

There it was. The admission she'd been worried about. He pitied her. He was trying to protect the freak.

She nodded. "Okay. I'll start on the night shift tonight, Captain." She turned and went to sit next to Evelyn. It took him a second but he walked by her, shooting her another one of his inscrutable glances before taking over the controls.


	4. Chapter 4

Mike shut himself in his ready room the second he got back. He made his report to Starfleet command, added a comment about Dr. Lyra Renholm's disrespect towards a Starfleet officer, but didn't go into specifics. He figured they'd be capable of sussing out which officer and the nature of the disrespect when they saw the list of officers who'd gone on the away mission.

He hated this. He hated this for multiple reasons...one of which was the fact that she'd been completely right regarding his motivations for not giving her a rigorous punishment. He'd felt bad, sue him. She had to put up with more shit than most of the senior officers combined. He hadn't wanted to add to it...and had showed favoritism. He sighed, looking at the ceiling.

"Computer, time." He said.

"It is 2100 hours." The computer replied. The night shift was coming into ops...bringing with it, one Ginny Baker. He couldn't go out there now she'd think he was...spying on her or something.

* * *

It was early morning. Ginny stretched, ready to go get some sleep.

"Baker." Miller said as he sauntered onto the bridge. "I'm going to need you to file a detailed report of everything that transpired last night."

Ginny glared at him. "Are serious?" She whispered.

"Insubordination, Baker?" Miller tilted his head. "I'm not as forgiving of it as Captain Lawson."

"You're only one rank above her, Miller." The doors to Lawson's ready room opened. "And unless you want that to change, I suggest you piece together what happened on the bridge from the various log entries the night shift will make." He looked at Ginny. "Baker, my ready room."

Ginny followed him in, trying to ignore Miller seething behind her.

"I'm upping your punishment." Lawson said the second the doors shut behind her. Ginny blinked at him.

"What?"

"You were right, I went easy on you." He shrugged. "I'm adding another week of night shift to your duty roster." He tilted his head, amused by the relief on her face. "If you want, I could have you publicly shamed, so everyone knows I'm not treating you better."

"No public shaming necessary."

He sighed, shaking his head. "So this is what being wrong feels like." He shuddered. "I don't think I like it."

Ginny bit back a smile. She was tired, that's why she was reacting this way. "Well," she shrugged. "there's a first time for everything, I guess." She motioned to the door. "Am I free to go?"

Lawson studied her. "Just one thing." He said. "You did good. With the kids, I mean. It was against protocol, but...it was the right thing to do and you didn't deserve the way they treated you."

"I know." She said.

Lawson chuckled. "Well, you sure know how to take a compliment."

"I know my worth." Ginny said. "I don't need anyone else to validate me..." She paused. "But it is nice."

* * *

"Carry these to the table." Evelyn ordered, handing Ginny a tray.

"Oh so now you want my help." She smirked at her friend. Evelyn snapped her fingers towards the table.

"Now that the cooking's done?" Evelyn grabbed a bottle of wine and a bottle opener. "Yes. No offense, girl but I've seen you burn replicator food." She shook her head. "Who does that?"

"Ha ha." Ginny put the tray in the center of the table. "Who's the 6th person." She motioned to the extra place setting.

"Oh, Blip's bringing the Captain." Evelyn put the bottle in the center of the table. "He's taking time out of his very busy schedule of running the station and chasing down Orion women passing through the sector to join us." She sat. "It should be fun." She looked over at Ginny. "Are you still mad at him?"

"Nothing to be mad at." Ginny shrugged, stealing a crouton from the salad. "He's just like everyone else. Either people think I'm a monster or a helpless victim of biology who needs to be treated with kid gloves."

Evelyn coughed. "Um, everyone?"

"With you and Blip being the gorgeous exceptions of course." Ginny amended. Evelyn grinned. The doors swished opened. Blip came into the room, followed by Captain Lawson who was promptly mobbed by the Sanders twins.

"Uncle Mike. Uncle Mike."

"Careful boys." Blip looked at the twins. "Wouldn't want Aunt Ginny to get jealous."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "My place in those boys' hearts has been hard won through years of bribery with Rigellian candy. There's no way they turn on me."

Lawson broke free of the boys. "Candy, huh?" He went over to give Evelyn a hug. "Their love for me was free."

"Probably because they're too scared to say otherwise because of that thing on your face." She didn't know what it was about Lawson that made her got under her skin, but she couldn't help retorting. Lawson chuckled, shaking his head.

"I could have you thrown in the brig." He joked, stopping in front of her.

"Promises, promises." Ginny retorted. Lawson looked over at Blip.

"Was she this much trouble at the academy?" He asked, moving past her. His arm brushed hers. Ginny inhaled sharply. For a second she felt...warm, relief. As though she'd been angry and hurt but...for a breif moment, there was a reprieve. She understood the feelings, but she also knew. they weren't from her. Lawson stumbled slightly, looking at her in shock. She moved away from him.

* * *

"More." Blip said.

"Huh?" Mike said, not looking away from Ginny.

"She was more trouble at the Academy." Blip said slowly, obviously amused by Mike's discomfort. Ginny wasn't looking at him, her gaze was focused on the table.

"I'm starving." She said. She sounded calm, controlled, but the tips of her ears were turning green. She'd felt it. Mike frowned. Once was a coincidence. Twice...twice meant there was something else.

"That's a surprise." Evelyn said, following her over to the table. Mike struggled to keep up with the conversation.

"Hey, my body burns through energy faster than yours." Ginny shot back.

"Excuses." Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Though I will say. I wouldn't mind that Romulan metabolism myself." She poked Ginny's waist. "Where does if even go?" She threw a look over her shoulder at Mike. His face burned and he was grateful that the beard concealed most of his blush. Evelyn smirked her signature 'I know more about you than you' smirk before steering Ginny into a chair, talking about something about the twins. Mike ended up sandwiched between the two boys, across from Ginny. The dinner passed interminably slowly. Mike was hyper focused on everything Ginny did or said. He'd felt her. Her emotions, her...her pain and she'd probably felt some of his.

He had to get answers and he needed to get them immediately.

He waited until they were walking out of the Sanders' quarters. The carefree attitude Ginny had had all through dinner was gone. She was tense and he caught her eyes flitting to him every couple of seconds.

"What the hell happened back here." He finally said. She stopped.

"I don't know." She admitted.

"You don't..." He said. "This is the second time you've touched me and." He broke off, glancing around. They shouldn't be having this conversation where anyone could walk in on them.

"Nothing like that has ever happened before." She said. "And..." She frowned. "And I don't think I want to talk about it." She backed away.

"Baker." He started.

"Bridge to Captain Lawson."

He glared at his com badge before tapping it. "One second."

"There's a message from Starfleet command."

Mike closed his eyes and exhaled. "I'll take it in my ready room, Lawson out." He looked at Ginny. "You go on shift soon, don't you?"

She nodded. "I need to go change." She turned and walked away from him. Mike scrubbed a hand over his face before going to the bridge. Opening the message, he tilted his head. "Vice Admiral Luongo." He said as Al's face popped up on screen.

"Captain." Al said. "How's deep space?"

"Cold and empty." Mike said. "What's going on at Headquarters."

"I'm not at headquarters." Al said. "I'm on the USS Stargazer, we're on our way to Deep Space 7."

Mike glared at the screen. How coincidental. Al just showing up with the Romulan dignitaries scheduled to arrive in a few days.

"That's Picard's ship, right?" Mike said conversationally.

"Yes?" Al said. "That's all you have to say?"

"What, about the fact that you just happen to be in the neighborhood?" Mike snapped.

Al sighed. "I saw the disciplinary report."

"What disciplinary report?" Mike asked.

"The one the science station sent to Starfleet command."

Mike's stomach clenched. "This is the first I'm hearing of it." He growled.

"According to the commanding officer on the base, Ensign Baker went rogue and terrorized two children."

"What?" Mike growled, leaning forward in his chair. "That's not what happened."

"Be that as it may," Al said. "Starfleet command is concerned and wants me to to be there when the Romulans get here." He gave Mike a bracing look. "Did you lie in your report."

"No." Mike said. "If anyone lied in their report it was that science commander. You should have seen her face when she saw Baker's ears." He took a steadying breath. "Baker's many things. She's stubborn, driven and..." He paused. "She's a good officer, a brave one. Reckless, yes. But she's not a threat." He shook his head.

"Mike." Al said slowly. "It's not just her they're worried about."

Mike looked up at the ceiling. "Right." He said. "I forgot they don't like my...what was it?"

"Cowboy diplomacy." Al said. "Mike, you're a risk they don't want to take...relations with the Klingons being what they are."

"Yeah..." Mike mumbled. "I'm not a danger out here...until the Romulans show up."

"I'll be there soon. Just make sure Ensign Baker doesn't draw any more undue attention to Deep Space 7."


	5. Chapter 5

He was taking a walk through the empty station 2 days later, when he came upon Ginny running a diagnostic on a panel on one of the main walkways. He watched her, noting how graceful her movements were as she scanned the conduits.

"Something I can help you with, Captain?" She said, not turning around. Mike felt his face burn. "I can hear you breathing." She said, answering his unspoken question.

"They have you doing grunt work?" He asked, resolving to be more careful around her. In case, what? he thought to himself. He creeped up behind her again? She was an officer under his command, those type of thoughts were beyond inappropriate.

"I'm an Ensign." Ginny replied, still not looking at him.

Mike chuckled, leaning against the wall next to her. "Wouldn't think it the way you chew me out." He sighed. "You are bold, Baker. I'll give you that."

She put down the scanner and faced him. "Captain, I..." She was choosing her words carefully. "I don't know what happened the other day at Evelyn's." She took a deep breath. "It's never happened with anyone before." She bit her lip.

Mike looked at her with interest before holding out his hand. He had to know. She backed away from it. "Sorry." he said. "I'm just..." How could he explain that for the first time he'd felt a connection to someone. Something that he hadn't felt since Rachel. "Only if you want to. I'm just curious."

Ginny swallowed before lifting her hand. "Aren't you afraid of the Romulan touching you?" She asked, it was meant as a quip, but there was an undercurrent of fear in her voice.

"I held out my hand, didn't I?" Mike said. She put her hand on his. They both braced themselves.

Nothing happened. Ginny frowned. "Shared hallucination?" She suggested. Mike shook his head.

"I don't get it." He waited as she pulled her hand away, turning to look out at the empty station. It was peaceful. Ginny picked up the scanner. She seemed preoccupied.

"Something on your mind, Baker?" He asked.

She sighed, putting down her scanner. "I'd appreciate it if I was transferred away from bridge duty for the entirety of the Romulan stay." She said. "And I don't want to be on security or...anything where I might be in contact with them."

Mike arched an eyebrow. She fidgeted.

"I would really appreciate it." She looked at the ground. "I don't want to give more people any reason to call me a Romulan traitor."

"So you're running."

"No, I'm just asking for a temporary transfer." Ginny said.

"People are going to think whatever they want to think, Baker." He frowned. "And you sticking your head in the sand isn't going to change that."

"You don't understand what its like to be me." She growled. "Half of the people on this base hate me, the other half are afraid and all of them don't trust me."

"Well I've got news for you, Baker, I could order you to dance on the outside of the space station in a space suit and people would still think you were conspiring with space dust to overthrow the Federation."

"Really?" Ginny said sarcastically. "I had no idea people didn't trust me that much, captain."

Mike rolled his eyes. "My point, ensign, is that people are going to think whatever the hell they want. So don't ask for a transfer because you think it's what other people want you to do. Ask for it because you want it for you." He crossed his arms. "Because if I transfer you off the bridge. I'm not putting you back."

"What?"

"Bridge duty has to be earned, Baker. You've got what it takes to be a great officer, but if you back away because of a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, then I can't have you compromising the safety of the station by being on the bridge." Ginny sighed, turning back to the panel, closing it and putting the scanner back in the tool box.

"I just...I've never met actual Romulans before...at least not ones that weren't my mom." She bit her lip. "She never talked about Romulus." She murmured, shaking herself, her face closing off. "I'll get back to you about whether or not I want that transfer, sir."

"Sir?" Mike repeated. "Are you being respectful toward the chain of command?"

Ginny let out a surprised laugh. Mike felt lighter, the sound so alien from the tough, untouchable exterior she usually showed to the world and yet...it was so uniquely Ginny. "Absolutely not, captain."

"Good." He said. "Wouldn't want to ruin our dynamic." He moved back. "I'm going to my quarters, this is getting a little weird."

Ginny gave him a small smile. "Good night, captain."

* * *

Captain Picard couldn't accompany Al onto the station, having to take the Stargazer to a starbase to run a tune up. "Thank goodness." Al said to Mike as they walked onto the bridge. "The man was born in the uniform, Mike. Reads Shakespeare for fun and thinks Archaeology is a hobby regular people have." He shook his head, his eyes scanning the bridge. Mike rolled his eyes. He really wasn't being subtle.

"Ensign Baker's on her lunch break." He said, motioning to his ready room. "I'll have her come in the second she comes back to the bridge."

The doors opened, Mike waited for Al to go in before following him. "That won't be necessary." He said. "I'd rather see how she works with others."

"Spy on her, you mean." Mike muttered. Al arched an eyebrow.

"You know Starfleet command has its doubts."

Mike sat in his chair, shaking his head. "Starfleet will always have its doubts." He grumbled. "And it doesn't help that she can save two children from horrifying death by dehydration and all the parents can say is that she's dangerous and insubordinate."

Al sat across from him. "She did run off without orders."

"I did the same thing a few years back." Mike said. "And Starfleet command made me a captain for it."

Al sighed heavily. "Look, personally, I'm not judging. The galaxy's a very different place from when I was a kid. I mean, we're at peace with the Klingon's for crying out loud." He shook his head. "There's a Klingon coming up through the Academy now. His name's...Woof, or something." He sighed. "All I'm tryin to say is that Starfleet wants an admiral here and it could be worse." He gave Mike a pointed look. "They could have sent Donaldson."

Mike grit his teeth. He'd gotten endless communications from Admiral Donaldson, begging him to reconsider allowing Ginny on the station. The man hated Romulans.

"He's asking for an investigation to be brought against her because of the science base incident." Al continued. Mike clenched his fists.

"He can't be serious."

"Fortunately Ambassador Spock thought along the same lines as you." Al said. "Baker must be something else to get him to speak on her behalf."

"Or maybe he just knows its illogical to judge someone on biology." Mike muttered. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the rumbling of the station.

Al tilted his head. "Still got that old holodeck program?" Mike nodded.

"Just been waiting for the right person to try it with."

* * *

"We need to stop meeting like this."

Ginny jumped and turned away from the view of the nebula. She'd been unable to sleep and figured that a walk would help her clear her head. Captain Lawson stopped next to her, looking out at the nebula. The lights of the station had been lowered to mimic nighttime in order to make the inhabitants of the station pretend they were on a planet. The light of the nebula came in through the windows, bathing everything in blues, purples, and greens. They played over the captain's face. She looked away as he turned to face her.

"So what's keeping you up?" He asked.

"Livan's got a friend over." Ginny mumbled, wincing.

"The walls are supposed to be soundproof." Mike said.

"For human ears maybe." Ginny winced.

"Does he make her call him papi, too?" He asked. She gaped at him. "What? It seems to be a thing for him."

She rolled her eyes. "Some people might view you taking an interest in your crew's sex lives as an abuse of power."

He shook his head. A silence fell. Ginny watched the nebula. If she stayed still enough, she could see the station's movements. Feel it as it rotated. She could also feel Lawson standing next to her. He was cool, his presence radiating calm. She exhaled, letting go of some of her nervousness. "My mom contacted me." She admitted. "She...she didn't want me anywhere near the Romulan delegation."

"So..." Mike couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. "You're going to want that transfer?" He'd expected more from her. He had no idea how much that meant.

Ginny shook her head. "No." She ducked her gaze away from him. "You were right about bridge duty and it not being right to run away from it just because I'm uncomfortable." She shook her head. "I can handle it." She could feel his eyes on her, taking her in. "What?" She asked, feeling the tips of her ears warming.

"Nothing, it's just." He let out a dry chuckle. "You've barely been here 3 weeks and you're already taking on more than most lieutenants have to deal with." She glanced at him. He gave her a rueful smile and was about to say more when his hand brushed hers. Admiration and relief flowed through her and there was an undercurrent of...something else that she couldn't identify. She gasped, pulling back. Mike's eyes bugged out of his head, looking at his hand, then hers.

"I-" She began.

"I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow." He said, straightening his shirt before turning and walking away. Ginny stared after him, unsure what that last emotion was or why he'd be so horrified at her discovering it.

* * *

Mike downed his third cup of coffee, rubbing his eyes. He tried to make sense of what was happening between him and Ginny. She'd seemed so shocked last night. He put his face in his hands. He'd been so damn happy that she wasn't leaving the bridge and she'd felt all of it.

"Captain." Amelia's voice crackled over his com. He leaned back in his chair.

"Lawson here."

"A Romulan warbird is approaching." She paused. "They're here, Captain."

He sighed. "I'll be there in second."


	6. Chapter 6

Ginny watched as Mike came out of his ready room. She was standing with Evers, trying to fight the anxiety burning through her. She felt frozen and overheated at the same time. The captain shot her a look, it was almost as though he knew she was being anxious. She forced herself to look calm. He frowned, clearly not believing her, but turned towards the view screen.

"They're hailing us, Captain." Blip said.

Mike nodded. "On screen." He said.

Ginny resisted the urge to hide herself behind Evers. She'd pulled her hair over her ears. Her eyebrows were a different story, but there was nothing she could do about that. She took a deep breath as the view screen turned on and the bridge of the Romulan ship came into view. The Captain was sitting in his chair, bored...his eyes sweeping the bridge. He looked at least 40 in human years, but that didn't mean anything.

"I am Tu'rain." He said. Ginny frowned. Why was that name so damned familiar?

"Good to meet you." Mike said. "I'm Captain Mike Lawson."

"Yes, humans do seem to place importance on their titles." Tu'rain remarked, looking bored. Then his eyes fell on Ginny. The mask of disinterest flickered for a fraction of a second and he leaned forward in his seat, gripping his arm rests. Mike frowned, turning to look and see what had distracted him. His eyes widened when he looked at Ginny.

"Docking bay 8." He said, turning and moving to block Ginny from Tu'rain's view. "Is available to you."

Tu'rain's eyes glittered. "Thank you, Captain. I look forward to our time on your station."

The screen clicked off. Mike exhaled. "Someone tell Vice Admiral Luongo that I need him in docking bay 8." He turned, looking at Ginny. He was worried she could practically feel it and while she was trying to show an air of calm indifference, she was nervous. She gave him a bracing nod; as disturbing as the Romulan captain's reaction to her was, she wasn't going to let them get inside her head. She turned and paid attention to the nearest console. The Romulan's itinerary had been given to all the crew members. She'd know where they were at all times. All she had to do was make sure she was nowhere near them in her off hours.

Now she just had to figure out why Tu'Rain had seemed so familiar.

.

* * *

Mike grumpily tugged at the collar of his uniform for what had to be the third time in 2 minutes. He'd specifically chosen the senior staff which the least amount of Romulan prejudice to be part of the welcoming committee. Unfortunately that meant the people who were closest to Ginny. Blip, Evelyn, and Amelia were standing by the docking bay doors.

"Just so we're clear." He said, looking at them. "We do not talk about Baker."

Evelyn snorted. "Do you think we're stupid?"

"It's like he thinks we don't care about Ginny." Blip agreed.

"Yeah." Evelyn nodded. "Almost as if we didn't know her first."

Mike ground his teeth. "If you two comedians are quite finished."

Al walked up. "Doctor and Commander Sanders. Lieutenant Commander Slater."

"Vice Admiral." Amelia said, nodding.

The doors opened. Mike and the others who weren't Amelia scrambled to seem official. Four Romulans stepped out, followed by Captain Tu'rain. His eyes swept the hall and he seemed disappointed by what he saw. Mike ground his teeth, unable to shake the feeling that he was looking for Ginny.

"Captain Tu'rain." He said, drawing the Romulan's attention back to him. The other Captain schooled his features, giving Mike a nod.

"Captain Lawson." Tu'rain said.

"These are my senior staff." Mike said. "Doctor Evelyn Sanders, my chief medical officer. My communications officer, Lieutenant Commander Amelia Slater."

Tu'rain's eye twitched as he looked at Amelia. Right, Romulans and Vulcans. Mortal enemies. Mike winced. This should be fun. Amelia, on her part, looked completely unaffected, but then again why would she be?

"And this is Vice Admiral Luongo." Mike motioned to Al.

Tu'rain nodded, but didn't introduce any of the Romulan dignitaries. "I trust we'll be treated to a tour of this..." He looked around and sniffed. "Lovely facility."

Mike forced a smile. "Of course. First our security chief, Lieutenant Commander Voorhies will lead you to your quarters. Then we've got a dinner planned in celebration of your arrival." He hoped the words sounded more convincing to the Romulans than they were to him.

"Will your whole crew attend this banquet?" Tu'rain questioned as Mike motioned Voorhies over. He turned and gave the Romulan a stiff smile. Why had Starfleet command okayed them coming to his base? He hadn't done this much smiling in...it was possible he'd never smiled so much.

"No." He said slowly. "Only senior staff." Which means no Ginny, he added silently.

"Ah." Tu'rain said. "Well, by all means, lead the way. Captain."

"Actually, as the senior Starfleet officer, Vice Admiral Luongo will be leading the tour." Mike said. He watched as they all walked down the hall. "Lieutenant Commander Slater, I need to talk to you about something."

Amelia stayed back.

"Look, can you-"

"I will keep them away from the bridge until Baker's shift is finished." She said. Mike exhaled.

"Thank you."

"No need." Amelia said. "I noticed the way he reacted to her presence on the bridge. It was illogical...unless he desired something from her." She turned. Mike walked away. He was jumpy, nervous and he wasn't 100 percent sure it came from him. He wandered the station not knowing where he was going until he stopped outside of Ginny's quarters.

* * *

Ginny glanced at the console again. She'd checked the on board chronometer at least 10 times in the last 3 minutes. She was almost off shift. She knew that the delegation would be taking a tour of the station by now and that it would most certainly include the bridge. Sonny glanced at her.

"Baker." He said. "I have a job for you." He motioned her over. "I need you to run down to engineering and tell Salvamini that his beard is stupid..." He tilted his head. "Unfortunately relaying this message is definitely going to mean that you won't be back before your shift ends...so no need to come back to the bridge."

She exhaled, grinning at him. "Thank you, Lieutenant." She said.

Sonny smiled. "Didn't I just give you an order, Ensign?" He jerked his head towards the turbolift. "Now get off the bridge."

Ginny did her best to not run. She got into the turbolift. The Romulan delegation was being placed in quarters on the opposite side of the station. So there was no reason for them to be anywhere near her. Her quarters weren't close enough to anything interesting so there was no chance that she was going to run into them on their tour. She was in the clear.

"Mami."

She turned, grimacing. "Hey, Papi." She said. "I can't talk. I need to go to my quarters."

"And what?" Livan asked. She turned and walked away from him. He rushed after her. "Lock yourself into your quarters and not come except for bridge duty?" He put his hand on her arm. She jerked out of his grasp.

"You weren't there." She said. "You weren't on the bridge when..." She shut her eyes. Tu'rain's gaze making her ill. "Something's wrong about their captain and I can't shake the feeling that..." She bit her lip.

"You can't just hide, Mami." Livan pushed her hair behind one of her ears. She ducked her head, moving past him.

"Livan, I...I just really don't want my life to get any messier than it already is." She sighed. "Stay out of my way." She went to her quarters, entering, ready to collapse on her couch...except someone was already on it. She glared at the intruder, but when she recognized him, she relaxed. "That beard makes you look like a psycho killer." She said, going over to a box in the corner of her quarters. "Which, considering that you just broke into my quarters seems apt." She pulled out a bottle of scotch Cara had given her.

"I can't really explain what I'm doing here." Mike muttered, watching her as she walked over. "I just...I felt I had to be here." He shook his head. "I don't know how to explain it." Ginny knew what he meant. She was calmer already, her heart was no longer hammering and her breath had slowed. Mike was studying her face. Then he shook his head. "Why is captain Tu'rain so damn interested in you?" He growled.

"If I knew." Ginny sat across from him. "I wouldn't be hiding here." She opened the bottle. Mike arched an eyebrow.

"That's not regulation."

"Neither is breaking into a crew member's quarters." Ginny looked up at the ceiling. "I won't tell the captain if you don't."

The corners of Mike's beard twitched before he stood. "He's dangerous. Just...lay low...please."

Ginny swallowed the sarcastic retort, There was genuine concern in Mike's eyes. She nodded. "I wasn't planning on leaving this room."

* * *

It was the worst party Mike had ever thrown. Even worse than the one where Salvamini had ended up pregnant...at least that one had started off fun...before the weird alien gender bending mushrooms. The atmosphere was cold and suspicious. The Romulans were looking down on the assembled Starfleet officers while the officers were skittish and jumpy.

Tu'rain moved so he was standing next to Mike. "I hope you'll forgive my curiosity." He said. "But I couldn't help but notice one of your bridge crew earlier."

Ginny. Mike clenched his drink, keeping his eyes focused on the party in front of them. He meant Ginny.

"She is Romulan, is she not?" Tu'rain continued.

"I believe so." Mike said. He'd be damned if he gave him any information on her.

"Her name?" Tu'rain questioned. Mike shrugged, forcing his best Captain smile in place; his face muscles were getting a workout today.

"I think she was placed her about 3 weeks ago." Mike shrugged. "She's an Ensign, I haven't really had the chance to get to know her all that well."

Tu'rain nodded. "Your station is adequate, Lawson." He continued. Mike noted the deliberate lack of title as he addressed him. Silently, he thanked Evelyn for scaring all the officers into keeping quiet about Ginny.

"Thank you." He said.

"I feel as though I should tell you. Our cloaking device is malfunctioning." Tu'rain continued, conversationally. "I am headed over to my ship to oversee the repairs."

* * *

There was movement in Ginny's quarters. She sat up. "Livan?" She called out. "If that's you this isn't funny." There was a humming noise. The air in front of her bed rippled as a transporter beam materialized. She jumped out of bed, grabbing her phaser.

"There's no need for that." Tu'rain materialized in her room.

"They'll have detected you beaming in here." She growled. "Tell me why I shouldn't shoot you right now."

"Perhaps because if you do, my crew has orders to beam us out of here and fire at the station." Tu'rain said. "We both know Starfleet." He spat out the word. "Don't approve of killing." He motioned to her phaser. "That's locked on stun."

"I'm not your average starfleet officer." Ginny said, tapping her com badge. "Baker to security." Silence. Tu'rain tilted his head.

"You'll find that all your communication systems have been disconnected." He said. "As well as that phaser. There's an electronic dampening field around your quarters."

Ginny fired. Nothing happened. She glared down at the weapon. "It's not the only thing that's good for." She growled, swinging it at him. Tu'rain caught her arm and twisted it behind her back, pressing her against him. She bit down on the scream of surprise, struggling against his hold.

"Oh, I was worried that your human half had weakened you." He whispered in her ear. "But I can see that you have a true Romulan spirit inside of you. A warrior, waiting to be freed from its weakened, tainted half human shell."

"What do you want?" Ginny snapped.

Tu'rain chuckled. "How remarkably like your mother you are."


	7. Chapter 7

Ginny froze. "My mother?"

"Yes." Tu'rain said. "Jan'ara." Ginny winced. It had been a while since she'd heard her mother's Romulan name. Tu'rain pushed her hair behind her ear, running his fingers over the tip. "My mate." He let her go. She moved away from him, stumbling to the other side of the room.

"Your what?"

Tu'rain smirked, looking her up and down. "My mate, Ginny." He growled the human name. "It is extremely rare for Romulans, this throw back to our less glorious past where we and Vulcans lived as one, but once in a while..." He moved closer. Ginny glanced around her for anything she could use as a weapon. "Two individuals are born with the capacity for a connection that goes deeper than the surface."

"What does this history lesson have to do with me?" Ginny snapped. Remain calm. She told herself. Don't let him see your fear.

Tu'rain let out a low laugh. "From the moment I saw you on that bridge...I knew." Ginny pulled away as he tried to touch her. "Even now, an echo of the connection your mother and I shared resides in your veins."

Ginny kicked him. "Don't touch me."

Tu'rain's face twisted and he hit her. She fell to the ground, clutching the side of her face. "This isn't about you." He growled, hauling her to her feet. "This is about making sure Jan'ara loses as much as she took away from me." His expression shifted, there was hunger. Ginny felt dizzy, trying to pull head was pounding. She bumped into the wall. "You have no idea." He said. "What it's like to be separated from your mate." This couldn't be happening. She had to focus, find a way to save herself. Screaming would do no good; the walls were soundproof and the only person who had a hope of hearing her through them, Amelia, was at the party. She was also physically weaker than him. Sure, she was stronger than the humans on the base, but she wasn't completely Romulan. And she definitely couldn't fight off a fully grown Romulan. Panic arose as she realized there might not be a way out.

He smiled, seeming to realize that she'd noted the helplessness of her situation. "You have your mother's eyes." He continued, gripping her face, forcing her to look at him. "The same shape, even if they are so human."

"I don't know what my mom did-" Ginny began.

"She LEFT." Tu'rain slammed his fist into the wall next to her head, the sound reverberating in her head. "I was going to become the most powerful man on Romulus and she my wife and she threw that away. Defected to the Federation." He was furious. Gripping her by the throat he looked at her. "I lost everything that day. The senate demoted me and the one person who was supposed to be there for me was gone." He squeezed his fingers. Ginny shut her eyes, terror seizing her as she heard the sound of tearing fabric. She kneed him, trying to get away. She needed to fight, needed to free herself. She'd made it halfway across the room when he grabbed her tackling her to the ground.

"NO" She shouted.

* * *

Something was really wrong. One second Mike had been talking to Blip, trying to play the good captain. The next he was gripping his head, trying to silence a ringing in his ears. The coppery taste of fear flooded his mouth as his lungs contracted.

"Captain?" Amelia's voice sounded far away.

"Mike." Blip steadied him.

NO

The word slammed through Mike. He doubled over, gripping the table and dropping his glass. The shattering glass caused everyone to turn to him. Mike didn't know how or why, but he had only one thought. Get to Ginny. Find Ginny. Save was in danger. Ignoring the people around him, he rushed to the door. "Security, I need you to get to Baker's quarters. NOW"

He ran, cursing the regulation that kept him from carrying a weapon during official functions. Punching in his over ride code into her door, he blanched as They weren't opening. He'd been right; something was wrong.

"BAKER." He shouted, banging on the door. Nothing. No response. "Ginny. GINNY" At that moment, Voorhies ran up.

"Captain, I-"

"Give me your phaser." He ordered. Voorhies didn't hesitate. Mike took it, blasting the doors. Forcing them open, he rushed in. Ginny was on the ground, pinned beneath Captain Tu'rain. Her pajamas were torn and there were scratches on Tu'rain's face where green blood trickled. He had his hands around her neck.

"Get off of her." Mike growled, pointing the phaser directly at Tu'rain's head.

Tu'rain let go. Ginny scrambled out from under him, running to Mike. He was hit with the need to touch her. To reassure himself that she was okay. He pulled her behind him. She clutched his shoulders. Mike turned his attention to Tu'rain, rage making his vision swim.

"Captain Lawson." Tu'rain stood, looking calm and collected. "You interrupted a personal encounter."

"Really?" Mike grit his teeth, tightening his grip on the phaser in his hand. "Because in Starfleet we call what I 'interrupted' rape." He looked back at Ginny. She was coughing; the hand marks around her neck bruising. Mike turned back to Tu'rain What gave this monster the right to touch her? Behind him he could hear Voorhies contacting sick bay to send a doctor.

"Things are different on Romulus between men and women." Tu'rain growled.

Mike frowned. "She's not from Romulus." He snapped. "And I'm willing to bet things aren't that different." He gripped the phaser. "You come onto my station and attack my officer."

"Mike." The word was a harsh whisper. He looked back at Ginny. She shook her head. "He's not worth it."

"He was going to-"

"Mike." Ginny put her hand on his arm. "Put the phaser down." She squeezed his forearm. "He's not worth you throwing away your career."

He swallowed, looking at the phaser. He'd inadvertently pushed the setting up to kill. He'd been...he'd been ready to kill him. He lowered his arm. "Lieutenant Voorhies." He said.

"Yes Captain."

"Take him to the brig." He growled. "And inform the Romulan vessel that they are going to assist us into the investigation of this man's assault on a Starfleet officer."

Voorhies and the rest of his security team lead Tu'rain out. Ginny refused to look at him. Mike could feel her fear, her anger as he passed. Before he left, he said something in Romulan that made her freeze.

"Don't even look at her." Mike growled. Tu'rain chuckled darkly before he was led out. Mike looked down at Ginny. She was hovering close to him, her presence warm, her hand on his arm. He could feel her and her emotions. It practically filled the air. Fear, anger, frustration and finally an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Mike "How did you know I was going to kill him?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know." She hesitated. "How did you know I was in trouble?"

He shook his head, looking at her, aching to hold her, soothe her and chase away the confusion, anger, and fear that was burning through both of them. "I don't know."

"Mike." Al was in the doorway. Evelyn rushed in pulling Ginny away from him. He almost grabbed her back. He needed her close. He needed to know that she was okay. Ginny looked like she wanted to fight Evelyn as well. Her eyes were wide and she opened her mouth to say something. "Captain Lawson." Al's voice was louder. Mike turned to him. "You need to come down the security office right now and explain what the hell is going on before the Romulans declare war."

His duty as captain. He had to focus. "Doctor Sanders, have Voorhies take her statement. Ensign Baker..." He hesitated. "You can't stay in here, its a crime scene." Ginny nodded.

"She can stay with me." Evelyn said. Mike nodded. He needed to leave, go be Captain, but Ginny needed him. "Captain." Evelyn said. "You need to go."

"I'll be okay." Ginny whispered. "Go."

* * *

Evelyn brought her to sickbay. Ginny let her lead, feeling numb, confused. She was talking, asking questions, ordering the people around her. Ginny heard none of it. She sat, looking ahead of her, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"Mami." Livan's face came into focus in front of her. "Are you-" He reached out to touch her. She jerked away. Livan backed away with a guilty expression.

"What's happening with Mike?" She asked. Evelyn looked at her.

"Ginny."

"Ev," She focused on her injuries. "I've got bruises on my throat, a possible sprained wrist, a couple bumps, scratches and marks on my stomach. Otherwise I'm fine." She said, cataloging the various pains, assessing them and diagnosing them. "Now tell me what's happening."

Evelyn looked around. "Everyone out." She shooed Livan and the nurses out. Taking a deep breath, she waited. "All I know...is that Mike had Luongo call Starfleet command. He wants a court hearing. The Romulan ship has also contacted the Romulan senate." She winced.

"Luongo said something about war." Ginny felt sick.

"No." Evelyn said. "Don't you dare worry about this. You focus on healing yourself." She sat next to her, not touching her. "Tell me what you need."

"To forget the last few hours?" Ginny suggested." Evelyn gave her a look. "I need..." The words caught in her throat as she realized the insanity of what she wanted. She'd been about to say Mike. "Ev, what do you know about Romulan mating bonds?"

Evelyn frowned. "Are you sure you want to-" She trailed off as Ginny glared at her. "Right. I'll look up what I can in the medical database." She went over to her computer. "Okay...there's not a lot. Most of the research is word of mouth and done by Vulcan scholars so it's a lot of logical snide talk." She mumbled, reading through it. "Apparently...it's like Vulcan marriage bonds except...they're not planned, they're spontaneous...and pretty explosive. Apparently the two people can feel each other's emotions, inherently. If someone's happy, the other will sense it. If they're hurt or-"

"Terrified out of their mind." Ginny murmured. Evelyn looked up at her.

"Why are you interested..." She trailed off, her eyes widening in horror. "Are you saying...you and Tu-"

"NO." Ginny cut her off, not even wanting to think about what Evelyn was implying. "He said my mom was his mate." She looked at her hands. "And that...that he could feel the residue of the bond in my veins." She shuddered.

"Oh." Evelyn looked at her screen. "Did-"

"I didn't feel it." Ginny said. "I was too busy being terrified for my life." Evelyn nodded. "Ev." Ginny wrapped her arms around herself. "I think I need a few minutes to myself..."

Evelyn nodded. "Let me get rid of that sprain and then my office is all yours." She began repairing the sprain. "You know, it's the strangest thing..." She continued. "Mike just...knew that you were in danger." She met Ginny's eyes. "It was like instinct."

Ginny looked away, unsure how to deal with her suspicions when it came to Mike and the nature of their relationship. She moved her wrist, testing out the repair. "Thanks Ev."

Evelyn frowned. "Ginny...if something were happening between you and Mike..."

"You'd be the first to know." She promised. "Especially after I figured it out."

* * *

Mike collapsed in his quarters trying to make sense of the last couple of hours. He had maybe 2 hours to sleep before he was expected on the bridge. He had to get some sleep. Maybe if he got some sleep he'd be able to banish thoughts of tearing Tu'rain to pieces or finding Ginny and...He shut his eyes. Sleep Sleep Sleep.

There was a chime at his door. He groaned, covering his eyes. "I'm blasting whoever it is out of an airlock."

"I've got an override code."

Blip.

"Come in." Mike sat up. Blip entered, holding up two bottles of Klingon bloodwine.

"Evelyn's having a girl's night with Ginny." He said. "They're watching old earth comedy with the kids while I disapprove but pretend not to know." He sighed, sitting next to him. "So...are we on the brink of intergalactic war?"

Mike shook his head. "Tu'rain has a history of delinquent behavior. The empire has agreed for us to hold him until a Romulan ship can come over to pick him up. The peace delegation's going to leave tomorrow as scheduled." He huffed, taking the bottle Blip handed him. "They don't want to compromise peace talks...probably because their position in the galaxy has been weakened since the Federation allied with the Klingons."

Blip was looking at him with his 'I am oh so wise' look. Mike glared at him.

"Okay, Commander, out with it."

"You're messed up."

"No shit." Mike muttered.

"Wanna tell me what's really bothering you?"

Mike shook his head. He couldn't tell Blip about how he was beginning to feel about Ginny. About the rage that had boiled through him when he'd seen her being hurt. How it had been the strongest and most terrifying emotion he'd ever felt. And that it was only second to the aching he was feeling now. The need to be near Ginny that was consuming him. "I think..." he sighed. "I need shore leave."

"I've been telling you that literally for years." Blip grumbled. "Ever since you and Rachel split you've been working non stop."

"Yeah." Mike sighed. "And I'm finally conceding that you might be right."

"Wow." Blip said. They sat in silence, drinking. Mike's head was growing heavy. All he could see was Ginny's eyes while Tu'rain was on top of her. The marks on her throat. He could hear her voice. The way she'd said his name. He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Aren't you going to ask how she is?" Blip asked.

"Who?" Mike asked, already knowing without Blip telling him.

"Ginny."

Mike looked down at the half empty bottle, feeling his control slipping from him. "I don't want to think about it, Blip."

"Why not?" His first officer asked.

"Because..." Mike's head was cloudy and all the reasons he had for not telling Blip about Ginny went out the window. "I almost killed him." Mike said. "I almost killed the captain of a ship carrying a peace delegation. War could have started and I wouldn't have cared. You know why?" He glared.

"Because he tried to attack one of your officers and you're a good captain." Blip said.

"No." Mike glared. "Because it was her." He could feel Blip's judgement. He couldn't even look at his friend.

"Shit." He said.

"I know." Mike leaned forward putting his face in his hands. "I know."


	8. Chapter 8

**NA:I know not everyone is a Star Trek nerd like I am.**

 **As mentioned before, Cara is a joined Trill. Trill have the capacity to be hosts to a second life form called a symbiont. These creatures can life almost indefinitely, going from host to host. While each host is different, once joined with the symbiont, they can access memories from previous lives.**

* * *

She wasn't avoiding Mike...Captain Lawson. She was just making sure she never found herself in a situation where she could accidentally be alone with him. Two days passed. She couldn't sleep. She'd moved out of Evelyn's quarters, not wanting to worry the twin, and had gone to stay with Cara.

After the third time she'd woken up in a cold sweat, Cara had pushed a Trill headache remedy and sat her down.

"One of my former hosts..." She hesitated, sitting on the couch next to Ginny. "He went through something similar." She shuddered. "His name was Marzin. His...best friend was jealous that he'd been selected to be joined and...decided to give the symbiont a memory no one would ever forget." She gave Ginny a grim smile. "Some times I can feel...the breath on the back of my neck. Or a voice will bring me back." She shook her head. "So, I know there's no shame in not okay right now. It's been 2 lifetimes and yet...it could have been yesterday."

Ginny nodded. "I don't know if I can go back to those quarters." She admitted.

"You don't have to." Cara said. "You can petition for new ones."

She bit her lip. "I just...I can feel his hands on my neck." She shut her eyes. "And...it's..." She took a steadying breath. "I've always been pretty alone because of...what I am, I should be used to it, but..." She gulped. "I just feel alone." She shut her eyes. Cara shifted, moving so she was close to her but not touching her.

"You're not alone." She whispered.

Later when Cara was asleep, she heard a chime from the view panel. She walked over, sitting in front of the screen. It was an incoming transmission from the Captain's quarters. She hesitated before accepting the message.

"Captain."

Mike...Captain Lawson, she told herself. He was Captain Lawson. He flinched slightly. "Ensign, I...was going to leave a message." They looked at each other.

"I couldn't sleep." She murmured. He ducked his head.

"Me neither." He said.

She squashed the thrill of finding another connection between them. She didn't want to deal with the possibility that she might have a bond with her Captain. It was too much to process. She made the mistake of looking up. Mike...Captain Lawson was looking at her, examining her face as though he was worried she'd disappear. Even through the view screen she could feel him. She tore her eyes away.

"I saw that I've been taken off active duty for a week."

"Yeah." He shifted. "How are you?" He said.

She leaned back in her chair, unsure how to answer and fighting the urge to rush to him. "I'm okay. You?"

He gave her a bracing smile. "I'm okay." He rasped. They were both lying and they both knew it. Ginny ducked her eyes.

"I also saw that there was going to be an inquiry."

"Yeah." Captain Lawson cleared his throat. "He's going to be there and-"

"I want to testify." She sensed what he was going to say. "I want to look him in the eye."

Captain Lawson nodded. There was a silence as they stared at each other. "What's happening?" He asked. "With us?"

"We were discussing-"

"That's not." He interrupted. "That's not what I mean."

She ducked her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it." It was easier when she didn't look at him. The pull wasn't as strong.

"Are you-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now." She said. "I'm an officer, I want to focus on being an officer. I need to...survive this and make sense of this before I make sense of what ever we are or aren't." She swallowed. "I need to decide when we talk about this."

Mike, because it was Mike, not Starfleet Captain Michael Lawson, who was looking at her now, nodded.

"Okay." He said. "I'll be at that inquiry. If you need anything."

"You'll know."

His brow furrowed. "You know, I could have you disciplined for how rude you are to me." He was trying to joke to break the tension. Ginny smirked.

"Add it to my tab."

"You're piling up a debt you can't repay, Baker." He yawned, stretching slightly. A sense of peace filled the room. Ginny glanced back at Cara's couch, which suddenly looked much more inviting. She gave Mike a sleepy smile.

"Goodnight." She whispered.

"Goodnight." He replied. Neither of them moved to end the transmission. "Can I ask you something?" he asked. She nodded. "Why did you decide to join Starfleet?"

She bit her lip. "It was my dad's dream. He...he never managed to get into the Academy and he was going to get his kids there, biology be damned." The conversation was veering into deeply personal territory. Territory she hadn't thought about sharing with anyone, yet strangely didn't feel weird about going into with Mike. Mike, not Captain Lawson. "You?" She asked.

"For the girls." Mike smirked as Ginny snorted. "Chicks dig a man in uniform."

"No one has said those words in literally a hundred years." She shook her head.

Mike hummed. "For what it's worth...you're one of the best officers I've ever had disrespect me."

Ginny laughed. Mike smiled, the lines on his forehead disappearing. "I'll..." She stopped. She was going to say she'd see him tomorrow, on the bridge, but she wasn't. He seemed to understand that as well.

"Goodnight, Baker."

She nodded, shutting the transmission.

* * *

The next day she sat across from Cara at the bar, annoying her as she worked. It was slow, very few customers so Cara was running experimental cocktail recipes by her.

"Mmmm." She hummed. Cara grinned.

"I take it you like it." She said. Ginny nodded. "Most people find it too sugary.

"Most people aren't me." Ginny said. "I like sugar."

Cara tilted her head. "I do believe you are buzzed, Ensign Baker."

"I do believe..." Ginny plucked the miniature starship ornament out of the drink and moved it in front of her face. "That 27 cocktails will do that to me."

Cara groaned. "What I wouldn't give for your tolerance."

Ginny grinned. "Even if it came with..." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "The ears?"

"The ears." Cara repeated, looking thoughtful. She was about to reply when she glanced behind Ginny, her eyes widened.

"What?" Ginny glanced behind her and practically jumped off her barstool. A member of the Romulan peace delegation was standing there with a station security officer.

"Ensign Baker." She said, motioning to a table off to the side of the restaurant. "Can I have a word?"

Ginny's eyes flickered to the security officer, Robles, she thought. He gave her a bracing smile. "Sure." She said, glancing down at her civilian outfit, wishing she was wearing her uniform...and that she was at least 5 cocktails less drunk. She followed the Romulan official. She sat at the table, looking at Ginny with interest.

"This station is loud." She commented. "I don't know how you can take it."

Ginny looked down at her hands. "My ears aren't as sharp as yours." She mumbled.

"My name is Son'ra." The Romulan continued. "I wish to apologize on behalf of the Romulan government. Tu'rain has had...a tumultuous past with our leadership and truthfully I was surprised when I learned he was captaining this mission."

"Tumultuous?" Ginny asked. "What, has he raped other people on stations he's visited?"

Son'ra winced. "Ah...human brashness." She shook her head. "Not to my knowledge. He..." She sighed. "What I am about to tell you, I tell you with the expectation that it never leaves this conversation." She paused. Ginny nodded. "Tu'rain used to be a Senator on our world."

"Your." Ginny corrected. Son'ra looked at her sadly.

"My," she conceded. "He was...especially anti federation. More so than the average member of the Romulan government. So much so that he planned a coup; to steal the seat of pro-consul and lead the Empire into war against the Federation. It was madness, but he had a lot of underground support...until his mate betrayed him. She defected and ran to Starfleet command. She didn't want the galaxy forced into the type of bloodshed that would mark generations; all for the ambitions of one man." Son'ra looked at Ginny. "She lost her life, her love, her standing...but she saved us all."

"My mother." Ginny whispered.

"My sister." Son'ra said. Ginny's jaw dropped. Son'ra nodded. "I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you, my niece." She reached out and touched Ginny's cheek, tears in her eyes. "I am...truly sorry that it was not under different circumstances. And rest assured that for what he tried to do to you I will make sure he suffers the highest penalty Romulan law will allow."

Ginny brought her hand up to cover Son'ra's, squeezing it. She saw it now; the resemblance to her mother. It was so obvious she wondered how she ever could have missed it. "I-" Her voice broke. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything, niece." Son'ra composed herself. "But...the next time you see Jan'ara...tell her that the Ricul tree in our parent's yard is blooming, that I still eat Slira on her birthday...and that I am unbelievably proud of her strength, her choices...and her beautiful daughter."

"She goes by Janet now." Ginny mumbled, unsure what to say. Son'ra laughed. Pulling her hand away, she made to stand. "Wait." Ginny said. She didn't want this moment to end. Son'ra gave her a tight lipped smile.

"We all have our responsibilities, niece." She looked sad. "I need to return to my ship, our diplomatic mission is more important now than ever. We need to continue to the talks." She tore her eyes away. "Be strong, Ginny Baker."

"I always am." Ginny said. Son'ra smiled.

"I hope you will understand that I mean this as a compliment, but you would have made an excellent Romulan." Son'ra turned and left. Cara watched her leave before walking over.

"You okay?" She asked. Ginny nodded, wiping her eyes.

"Bring on the next of those concoctions." She said.

.

* * *

Mike needed a break from the station duties. He walked down to the Docking bay, ready to see off the Romulan delegation.

"I would like to apologize again, Captain." The lead Romulan, a woman with brown skin and strangely piercing eyes said.

Mike nodded grimly. "While I know you're going to pick up Tu'rain on your way back to Romulus, Starfleet command got the permission of the Romulan government to do an inquiry and that our ruling will be sent in as evidence when they take him to court."

The Romulan diplomat nodded. "Believe me, Captain..." Her eyes flashed. "I will make sure that he receives the proper punishment." She looked at him, tilting her head and Mike gulped as he realized just how much like Ginny she looked. He was in huge trouble if he was seeing her randomly in the actions of others. He nodded, stepping aside and watching them get back on their ship. Letting out a sigh of relief, he looked around at the officers who had assembled.

"Don't you have a station to run?" He said, shooing everyone away. He rubbed the back of his neck, jumping as someone put a hand on his arm. Evelyn was frowning at him. "Something I can help you with, Doctor?"

"I'm removing you from active duty and prescribing you recreation time for the next 3 hours." She held up her hand. "As the station's Chief Medical Officer I have the authority to over ride your orders if I deem it medically necessary." She arched an eyebrow, daring him to contradiction her. He sighed.

"Fine."

"Good." She said. "Holodeck 3. Go. Now."

"I'm still the Captain here." Mike snapped.

"Of course sweetie." Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Holodeck 3."

"Yes ma'am." He turned, shuffling towards Holodeck 3. While he was annoyed at Evelyn babying him, he couldn't argue with her suggestion. Just the idea of some recreation was helping him get his mind off the mess of emotions he currently was. He was calm, zen. Walking up to Holodeck 3, he noted that his favorite program was already running. Thanking Evelyn for being amazing and thinking of everything he stepped inside. The doors closed behind him and he inhaled the smell of freshly cut grass in summer on Earth. He so missed this. There was the sound of the crack of a bat. He frowned opening his eyes. There was someone already using his program. His jaw dropped as he watched Ensign Ginny Baker, pick up a baseball pull her arm back and pitch to the computer generated opponent on homeplate.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Some notes about baseball in the Star Trek universe. The game hasn't been played on earth for a couple hundred years, but there are still people who like it. Most notably Captain Benjamin Sisko (Deep Space 9)**

 **There's a great episode called "Take me out to the holosuite" where the crew of Deep Space 9 form a baseball team to take on Captain Sisko's academy rival. It's pretty goofy and fun, plus it's outside of the flow of the main story so watching it won't spoil anything if you want to watch DS9 from the beginning (IT'S SOOOOO GOOD. Watch it!)**

* * *

Wind up, pull back, pitch. The familiar rhythm gave Ginny a focus; something to take her mind away from the last day's events. Wind up, pull back, pitch. Tu'rain's leering face as he reached for her. Wind up, pull back, pitch. Son'ara's look of pained pride. Wind up, pull back, pitch. Children at school calling her a damn Romie. Wind up, pull back, pitch. Her father the day she'd been offered the chance to take the entrance exam for Star Fleet academy. Wind up, pull back, pitch. His empty eyes after the shuttle malfunction. Wind up, pull back, pitch. Her mother's tears when the investigation uncovered the sabotage. Wind up, pull back, pitch. Her breathing was getting labored. Dimly she thought she heard someone opening the holodeck doors. Wind up, pull back, pitch. Wind up...pull back...pitch...she couldn't breathe...wind...she was shaking...wind up...

"Baker."

She whirled around, the ball leaving her hands. She covered her mouth as it flew...straight at Captain Mike Lawson's head. He caught it, grimacing as he shook out his hand.

"Jeez, Baker." He rolled his fingers, looking at his palm. "Forget photon torpedoes, next time some one attacks the station, I'm sending you out in a space suit with a barrel of these."

Ginny gaped at him. "What are you doing here?" She asked. She'd reserved the holodeck.

"This is my program, Ensign." Mike gave her a smile that was equal parts amused and disbelieving. "What are you doing here?"

His program? Ginny glanced around. She should have realized that it was uncommon for a readymade baseball program to be in the databanks of a holodeck, but she'd figured Evelyn had created it for her."Evelyn told me I should come here."

Mike grunted before walking over to home plate. Ginny watched him move, turning as he passed her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I need to unwind, all the other holodecks are being used." He looked at the ceiling. "Computer, glove." The computer made him a glove. Stepping behind home plate, he knelt, holding up his hand. "Show me what you got."

Ginny tried to center herself. Wind up, pull back, pitch. The ball went wild. Mike grimaced as he reached up, catching it. He frowned, tossing it back. Ginny caught it, rolling it around in her fingers. Wind up, pull back, pitch. It flew too low, slamming into the ground, bouncing back up and almost hitting Mike in the face. He covered his face with his glove, somehow catching the ball before falling back. Looking at Ginny, he stood, walking over to her. The umpire was about to protest. Mike turned to him.

"Computer, remove all characters." Around them the players and umpires vanished, leaving the two of them. Mike strolled up to the mound. He was chewing something. "So." He said. "I know you can throw. I saw it when I came in and I know it wasn't the holograms that bothered you, because you were doing fine with them..." He tilted his head. "Which kinda makes me think the distraction is me." He put his hand over his heart. "I'm hurt, Baker." It was meant as a joke, but with him so close... She could feel the undercurrent of truth to his words. Because of the bond...one of the things she'd been trying to escape from. Ginny swallowed.

"I..." she began. "I think I just overworked myself." She rolled her shoulder. "Maybe we should switch...let the other team get the outfield." The lie made her stomach clench. It felt...wrong. A shadow crossed Mike's face, but he stepped back.

"I should warn you." He said, turning and walking towards one of the dugouts. "I'm a killer at bat." Ginny watched him walk away, rooted to the mound. Mike stopped at the top of the dugout stairs. Turning, he tilted his head. "Today, Baker." He called out. "Unless you're switching teams on me." He smirked. "I bet I could get a hit off of you, easy."

Ginny smirked. "Maybe next time." She said, walking after him. He had the computer create a fake team for them and one for them to play against. Letting three players go up to bat, Mike waited until the bases were loaded before grabbing a helmet and bat. Ginny propped her elbows on the wall of the dugout. Mike smirked, bumping her with his arm as she passed.

"What are you chewing?" She asked.

"It's gum." He said. Opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, showing her the pink chewing gum. "Ball players on Earth used to do this all the time." He smirked. "Though with the replicator I can make it any flavor I want." He pulled a pack out of his pocket. "Saurian Brandy."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. Mike shrugged.

"More for me." He turned and walked up to the plate. Ginny leaned forward, curious to see if he was actually good or if it was just talk. He glanced back at her before focusing on the opposite team's pitcher. The pitch came. Mike swung...and missed. Ginny bit her lip. Mike dug his toe in the dirt, gritting his teeth before getting ready for the next pitch. It came...and he hit a foul. Ginny blinked, frustration and irritation hitting her square in the chest. She closed her eyes forcing herself to remain calm, she looked over at Mike. If his emotional state was affecting her, and she didn't think she was ready to think about why, then it stood to reason that hers might affect his.

The tension in Mike's shoulders lessened. He looked over his shoulder at her, frowning.

"Come on, Lawson." She said. "All that trash talk and nothing to back it up?" She smirked as she noted an increased grip on his bat. "I'm pretty sure I could strike you out...easy."

Mike coughed, spitting out his gum, he shook his head. Ginny was about to open her mouth to begin ribbing him again, when he locked eyes with her. His eyes were dark and swirling. She took a step back as a feeling of pure desire hit her. "We'll see." He said. Turning back to the mound, he raised his bat. The pitch came and he swung.

Crack.

Ginny's head turned to follow the trajectory of the ball. It flew out of the confines of the field they were playing in. Mike shaded his eyes before looking over at Ginny. Dropping his bat he began a leisurely jog around the bases. The holographic team members ran towards home, scoring points. Mike crossed home plate. He walked back over to her, stopping at the top of the dugout stairs. They stared at each other. She could feel the bond growing between them. She could feel Mike wanting to talk to her and she knew he could feel her fear.

"Bridge to Captain Lawson." Mike's eyes darted to the ceiling, his brow furrowed.

"What?" He said, tapping his com badge.

"We need you to sign off on a shipment bound for an out post near the neutral zone."

Mike shook his head. "On my way. Lawson out." He didn't move. Ginny stepped back.

"You should go." She said. He nodded.

"I'll..." He looked around at the field. "If you ever need to use this program again..."

She smiled. "Thanks."

He turned to leave. "Computer, door." A door appeared by the stands. As he approached it, Ginny was seized with the sudden urge to not let him go.

"I'd totally be able to strike you out, though."

He paused, the doors open next to him. Shaking his head, he laughed. "Oh, it is on, Baker." He left the holodeck. Ginny smiled after him as the doors closed.

* * *

Ginny woke, feeling sick to her stomach. It was the day of the inquiry. She looked around her new quarters, trying to calm the racing of her heart. She wasn't back on active duty, which meant she had nothing besides the impending interview to look forward to. She hadn't seen Tu'rain since...that night. She went through the motions of preparing for a day. Coffee, sonic shower, detangle her hair, coffee, put shea butter in her hair, grab a fresh uniform, breakfast, coffee, checking her messages, coffee.

All of which took about 40 minutes. She looked at herself in the mirror, taking a deep breath. She was flushed, her skin slightly green as blood rushed to her heated face. She closed her eyes, trying to recall the meditation techniques her father had taught her when she was a child. She hadn't thought of them in a long time, the memory of his attempt to pass her and Will off as Vulcans still stung. Taking a shaky breath, she glanced around. She and Livan had switched quarters. Everything in his was the mirror image of hers, everything positioned in the opposite place of her old quarters. It helped as otherwise, crew quarters were identical. At least she knew she wasn't living in the same place.

There was a chime at the door.

"Come in." She said.

Livan walked in. "Mami." He turned his back when he saw she was in the bathroom. "You ready?"

She shook her head. "I wouldn't have let you in if I was naked, Livan."

He looked over his shoulder. "You ready?" His voice was soft and his posture was lacking his usual swagger. She smiled, walking over to him.

"I've dealt with worse, right?" She said. Livan sighed.

"You don't have to pretend around me, Mami." He said, following her out. She didn't reply. All she had to do was tell her side of the story, then she never had to see Tu'rain again. She could go to the station's counselor, get cleared for active duty and maybe then things would get back to normal...or she could figure out what normal was.

Her legs grew heavy as she got closer to the conference room. Ahead of her she saw a group of security officers. They parted slightly as they walked towards the conference room. A ringing began in her ears. Tu'rain's bored face became visible between the shoulders of the security officers. He caught sight of her and his expression twisted into something deeper, darker. She felt sick, unable to move.

"Baker." The voice was too far. "Baker." The ringing was becoming deafening. "Ginny."

She jerked. Looking away as Tu'rain was lead into the conference room. Mike was looking at her. He was so close, so warm. She took a deep breath. Mike's hand was on her back.

"You don't have to go in there." He said. "You can go to my ready room and do it via video conference. You-"

"I'm doing this." She glared at the door. "He doesn't get to make me afraid. Not here. Not anywhere."

Mike nodded. She squared her shoulders before walking into the conference room with Mike behind her. Livan hung by the door. She heard him whisper that he'd be waiting for her before the doors closed. It occurred to her, as Mike led her to a seat at the opposite end of the room, that he was using the same calming technique that she'd used on the holodeck the day before. He was purposely exuding calm to make her feel better. He was faking it, she knew. Underneath the calm was a thinly contained layer of rage toward Tu'rain. She looked up at him as she sat, a realization hitting her: he knew what he was doing. He gave her a nod and she wondered, even though they hadn't talked about it, how much about their connection he'd figured out for himself.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Going back a bit to get Mike's point of view**

* * *

The investigation was tomorrow. Mike rubbed his head, trying to quell emotions that he wasn't sure were his own. Sure he was nervous, but every once and in a while a feeling of anxiety would grip him out of nowhere. Ginny was scared. He almost called her three times. His fingers hovering over the communications panel in his quarters, her name on the tip of his tongue.

But he didn't.

Something was going on between them. Something he didn't understand. But, he realized as he pulled away from the com panel, there was someone he suspected might have an idea. "Computer locate Evelyn Sanders."

"Evelyn Sanders is in her quarters."

Mike nodded. The walk to the Sanders' quarters was long. Long enough for him to rethink his unbelievably stupid plan. After all, how crazy was he going to sound. 'hi Ev, sorry to bother you so late but I'm pretty sure I have some kind of psychic bond with your best friend who just so happens to be an Ensign on my station. Also I've already had several thoughts about how that might benefit me because I'm a lonely sick pervert.' He winced. He'd lose that last part, but he had to know about the first part. The pull between them was too strong and he needed an explanation.

Blip let him in. "Man, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"That's Captain man." Mike corrected. "I need to talk to Evelyn. It's about..." He hesitated.

"Ginny?" Evelyn came up behind Blip. "Come in, but keep your voice down, the boys are sleeping."

Mike grimaced. Evelyn's intuition always made him wonder if she was part Betazoid. (Don't go there, Mike.) He sat on their couch fidgeting. Blip sat across from him, clearly waiting for him to start explaining and fuck if he knew what was going on. "I can feel her." He said. "There are...feelings...they aren't mine and when I touch her-"

"Woah." Blip's eyes narrowed. "Touch her?"

"It was an accident." Mike snapped.

"Oh, accident." Blip shook his head. "That's what we're calling it. Okay."

"I didn't have sex with her." Mike winced. "She patched me up after a coolant leak and...her hand on my skin made me...feel things that I wasn't feeling." He let out a frustrated huff. "I don't know how to explain this."

Evelyn's brow was furrowed. She hadn't spoken. Blip looked pissed.

"Mike, you know that the two of you doing anything is a complete violation of Starfleet protocol."

"Technically, no." Mike said. He winced as the wrinkles on Blip's forehead doubled. Right, the fact that he'd looked that up probably didn't make him look too good.

"She's an officer under your command. You're her captain." Blip growled. "At best it would be improper. At worst..." He shook his head. "You're not usually this crazy, man." He tilted his head. "As for emotions that aren't yours, couldn't that be some left over from Rachel?"

Mike glared at the ground. "Trust me. Whatever connection Rachel and I had was severed a long time before our divorce." He swallowed before whispering. "I just...I need to know if it's real."

Blip was going to say something else when Evelyn put a hand on his shoulder.

"Romulan mating bonds." She said.

Mike blinked at her. He must have heard her wrong. Evelyn sighed.

"Ginny asked about them after the attack. Apparently Tu'rain and her mother were mates. His attack was motivated by her leaving him." She paused. "Not that I'm making excuses for the sonuvabitch. I did some reading into it." She tapped her fingers against Blip's shoulder. "Apparently they exist between two individuals, creating a pull, an inescapable need to be near the other person. Some bonds are strong enough that they can share emotions." She tilted her head. "You think...you and Ginny."

"I don't know." He said, though some things were becoming clearer.

"But-"

"I don't know." He repeated. "I don't...I'm not sure what I was thinking." He lurched to his feet, leaving. He heard Blip calling after him, but he ignored it. Romulan mating bonds. Of fucking course. Just his luck that the universe chose someone completely unattainable for him. because Blip was right. While there was no official rule against intercrew relationships, it was generally frowned upon between officers with large rank gaps. And there was almost no bigger gap than Ensign and Captain. And did he really want this? He'd been in a relationship that had involved a psychic link before.

He stumbled through the door to his quarters. It had been a while since he'd allowed himself to think about Rachel. As she was a Betazoid, they'd shared a mind link. At first it had been...indescribable. To be that open with someone was...painful, but at the same time freeing. He'd never had to address his insecurities or tell her about his past because she just knew. And the sex had been explosive.

And the fallout had unbelievably painful when she'd severed it. Why the hell would he run into the same type of madness? He barely knew Ginny. Though, to be fair it had taken him very little time to create a connection with Rachel. He was so desperate for someone...anyone to care for him. He'd thought that a psychic connection would guarantee an honest love...that had worked out spectacularly. Rachel had been in control of the connection. It had never been even partially his...She'd used it to cheat and manipulate him. He didn't want to go through that again.

But...he could feel that it was different with Ginny. Whatever was growing between them scared her as much as it did him...and he got the feeling she was about as much in control of it as he was. He had to learn more. Had to figure out what he was dealing with before he decided what he felt about it. He went over to the view screen. "Computer, tell me everything you can about Romulan mating bonds."

.

* * *

Ginny lurched out of the conference room, fighting to keep her breathing steady. That...unbelievable...jerk.

"Baker." Mike was at her side. He was barely keeping his rage under control. She could feel it and it fed her own. "Come on." He led her away from the conference room. "You don't have to see him again."

"He's going to try and pretend that it was insanity." She said. "That he had a right to...to rape me because of..." She glared at the door of the conference room as it opened again. Tu'rain was led out of it, surrounded by the security team, his wrists in clad in restraints. "You." She lunged, fulling intending to tear him apart. Mike grabbed her around the middle, stopping her.

"Baker." He grit his teeth, struggling to hold her still.

"You can't just say you didn't do it." She hissed, fighting to move Mike's weight. He stood firm, not letting her get closer. "You can't just say that it was a mental lapse. You knew what you were doing."

Mike's arms around her tightened. A warmth spread through her and she let him hold her weight.

"He can't." She whispered, looking up at Mike, searching his face for a means to stop the boiling rage inside her. He was certainty, he was stability. He was hope.

"He won't." Was his reply, his hands drifting to land on her waist. "Come on." He jerked his head. "Don't let him rile you up. He's not worth a court martial." She let him lead her, unsure where until she heard the swish of the holodeck doors and smelled the cool air and grass of the baseball diamond. She shivered, letting the tears she'd been fighting for so long fall. All through it, he held her. She could feel him; in front of her, around her. She could feel the pull she'd been resisting press her. Then she realized...Mike was feeling everything she was...he wasn't trying to run from it or shield her from it...he was sharing it. Letting her knew she wasn't alone.

She looked up, meeting his gaze. There were unshed tears in his eyes. He grimaced, a hand coming up to brush her hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. She braced herself for him to flinch, to pull away. Instead he traced his fingers up over the tip. There was no hatred, no revulsion, no fear, no anger.

"Mike." She whispered, unsure where to begin.

"We don't need to talk." He whispered. "Not until you want to."


	11. Chapter 11

"I want to."

Mike let go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The inquiry had been hell because he could feel everything Ginny felt, facing the man who'd tried to assault her, but had been powerless to help or react the way he wanted to (Which was either to go after Tu'rain or hold Ginny and cry...because of her emotions, not his). Being alone with her had quieted the mess of half feelings and overwhelming loneliness. The emptiness he'd been trying to fill was gone.

"I think..." She whispered. "It's possible that...this..." She swallowed as he pressed his forehead against hers. Touching her was calming. He needed it. She pulled away. "This isn't real."

He blinked, stumbling forward to try and get her back. "Ginny." What did she mean not real?

"Ensign...Baker." She said, holding up a hand to stop him from getting closer. "And you're Captain Lawson. This...thing between us is only because of some weird psychic..." She shook her head. Mike panicked. He couldn't lose this.

"And why does that make it any less real?" Mike snapped. She was seriously going to deny this? She didn't want to. He could feel it; it was causing her pain. It was causing him pain.

"Would you want me if it wasn't there?" She asked. Mike's mouth hung open. His every instinct was screaming at him to say 'yes. Without a doubt'...but he thought of Rachel and the way their marriage had disintegrated and the words didn't come. A wave of hurt made him stagger back.

"Ginny." He gasped. No. She didn't understand. It wasn't her that made him hesitate. It was him.

"I have an appointment with the station counselor." She said, turning and walking out of the holodeck before he could stop her. Mike sat heavily on the grass, staring at the door, feeling as though he'd been torn in half.

* * *

It's not real. Ginny thought to herself. It's not real. She repeated to herself as she smiled and charmed the station counselor into letting her back onto active duty. For once, the fact that she was part-Romulan worked in her favor; the counselor felt uncomfortable being around her for too long. She was back on active duty almost immediately.

She kept her head down, taking assignments that kept her away from the bridge. Sonny, probably eager to make her return to work as easy as possible, gave her assignments that had her leaving the bridge and working on various parts of the station. Unsure how much of the misery she felt was hers and how much was Mike's, she blocked all of it. The bond was a curse. If a similar one had forced her mother to be connected to a monster like Tu'rain, then she wanted no part in one. Not even if it was with Mike.

So she worked, focused on impressing her direct superiors and performing her station duties. Hung out with Livan and Cara and used the emotion suppression techniques her father had taught her to help herself sleep every night. At least that was the plan.

The problem was that every night she'd wake up in a panic. Loneliness and unimaginable sorrow would hit her. At first she thought it was just Mike...and it made her feel terrible to think she was causing this, but it kept happening and...she knew the feelings were hers as well.

She was in the main room of her quarters; gasping, struggling to calm her racing heart when the door opened. Mike walked into her quarters.

"Captain." She managed to strangle out before he pulled her in his arms and relief rushed through her. She collapsed against him, taking deep breaths. The tension that had been squeezing her heart was gone. She cried. Mike rubbed circles on her back.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I tried to stay away." He pulled back slightly and Ginny got a good look at him. His eyes were bloodshot, his beard wilder than usual and the lines under his eyes were more prominent. He also looked pale, sickly and all trace of his usual grumpy bravado was gone. He'd been suffering as well.

"I'm sorry." She clung to him, letting his calming presence wash over her.

"Look." He took a shaky breath. "This...thing, whatever it is, is scary as hell. So if you don't..." He swallowed. "I...I get it if you don't want to pursue a...more serious relationship. There are about a hundred reasons why this is a terrible idea, but...I don't think I can take 4 more seconds like the last 4 days." He shut his eyes. Desperation underlaced his words. She knew because she felt it too and this pull between them was too much to ignore.

Ginny nodded. "We keep this friendly." She said. "I won't avoid you but..." She paused. She couldn't go any further just yet. Besides the difference in rank, she didn't know Mike all that well. Psychic connection or not, that hadn't changed.

"So what now." Mike's voice was hoarse. Ginny put her head on his shoulder, grateful that he was letting her take the lead.

"Just hold me." She murmured. He led her to the couch in her room. She followed, lying down with him. He folded her into his arms. She shut her eyes, letting him soothe her. For the first time in 4 days she managed to fall asleep.

* * *

Mike felt warmth. He dreamed he held Ginny in his arms. It was a dream he'd been having ever since the day of the inquiry and he'd given himself hell for it every time he woke up. He squeezed his eyes, huddling around the weight on top of him. It was too real of a dream. He didn't want to let go of this quite yet. To wake up and go back to Ginny avoiding him. He could feel her.

"Your beard tickles."

Mike gripped the weight on top of him. The weight...that he realized, was Ginny. He blinked his eyes open, hardly daring to hope and yet...there she was. She gave him a sheepish look.

"I thought last night was a dream." He croaked.

"It kinda started as a nightmare." Ginny murmured. She pulled away, taking her warmth with her. He sat up, looking at her. He could feel nervousness thrum between them. The link had strengthened it was almost tangible. He ran a hand over his face. "So..."

"So..." He repeated.

"I have to be on the bridge." Ginny murmured. "How about...we meet for lunch."

"I have meetings." Mike mumbled. "And Vice Admiral Luongo is leaving today." He shook his head. "Dinner?"

She nodded. Mike reached for her, then hesitated. He wasn't sure if the agreement he and Ginny had made the night before would extend to touching. He wasn't even sure what the agreement was. She glanced at his hand and a trickle of nervousness stole over from her side of the connection. He dropped his hand, trying to mask his hurt, but if the way she winced was any indication, he wasn't successful.

"Sorry." He murmured.

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I've probably been sending you some pretty terrible emotions lately."

"Actually...no." He pulled his hand back. "Things were pretty quiet from you." That had killed him more than her walking away from him. The idea that she could so easily walk away and cut him out of her life...the silence.

Ginny ducked her head. "The meditation techniques." She must have read Mike's confused look because she sighed before clarifying. "When I was little my dad tried to make people think my brother and I were half Vulcan." She stood, stretching. Mike watched the way her back muscles moved. The Nebula had moved and was outside the window. Her hair fell over her shoulder, the curls reflecting the light of the Nebula. Ginny walked over to the window. "He taught us all about Vulcan emotion suppression. He figured any inconsistencies would be explained by us being half human." She bit her lip. "Then one day Will got sick at school...they ran a blood test and well..." She dropped her gaze. Mike braced himself for sadness, but what came over the link was infinitely worse; resignation. It was almost as though she couldn't feel any emotion about it. As though she'd been drained of all feeling around the incident because...she'd devoted too much to it.

"We had to move." She continued. "I was 7. My dad tried again...it took 3 moves before my mom had enough." She shook her head. "Living out in the open was...scary. Those Vulcan suppression techniques became a way to make sure no one knew-" She stopped again.

"How much they hurt you." Mike finished. She looked back at him, daring him to say something. "You don't need to hide with me." He murmured. They stared at each other. Ginny looked as though she wanted to say more, but she shook her head.

"I should..." She motioned to her room. "I need to get to the bridge."

Mike nodded. "I'll, um...I'll see you later."

"Dinner." Ginny agreed.

"Dinner." Mike said.


	12. Chapter 12

It was an ordinary day like any other. Mike had to focus on that and not that fact that he had a sort of date with Ginny Baker later. He caught sight of her on the bridge and felt heat rising to his face. Blip caught the interaction and frowned. Mike forced his eyes towards the viewscreen, but couldn't help the small quirk of his lips as a burst of amusement came from Ginny. He could get used to this.

"Any updates on Vice Admiral Luongo?" He asked Amelia.

"He's making his way to Docking bay 3. His transport's here." She arched an eyebrow. "Captain...is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Mike gulped, looking at her. "No, why would you say that?" He sounded guilty and of course she picked up on it. Glancing back at the stellar cartography station where Ginny was listening to Sonny, she shook her head.

"Your head seems to be somewhere else." She focused on the viewscreen.

"I'll..." Mike motioned to the turbolift. "I'm going to see Al off." He walked towards the turbolift door when he was interrupted by Blip.

"Ship approaching Captain." He said. Mike frowned.

"We're not scheduled to have any other ships today." He said, moving towards the communications panel. "Hail them." He said.

Amelia nodded.

"This is Captain Mike Lawson of Federation Space Station Deep Space 7, you weren't scheduled to arrive today."

"This is an emergency situation, Captain." The view screen clicked on. A man was sitting in the captain's chair. "I'm Admiral Oscar Arguella. I've got orders from Starfleet Command to investigate your station."

"Finally." Mike said, feeling relief. He'd asked for back up from command for Ginny's case. "My officer gets assaulted and you guys go radio silent."

A wave of nervousness came from behind him. Mike resisted the urge to looking back at her. What would Ginny have to be nervous about? They were coming to help her. Oscar's face twisted in confusion.

"I don't know anything about that." He said. "I think we need to talk privately, captain. I'll meet you in your ready room."

The view screen clicked off. Mike stared at it, dumbfound. Something was very wrong. "Get me Vice Admiral Luongo." He said. "Tell him to meet me in front of Docking bay 6."

"Captain." Ginny said. The entire bridge turned towards her in surprise. She ignored them. "The admiral said he'd meet you."

Mike looked around the bridge. On the one hand, she made a good point. On the other, there was a chain of command and she was on the bottom. He couldn't have an ensign questioning his decisions. Especially one he was in a relationship with...or that he was starting a relationship with...wanted to...

The entire bridge was waiting for his reaction. "I know what he said, Ensign." Mike said before looking away from her to Blip. "Tell Al to meet me in front of Docking bay 6." He left the bridge, but not before feeling a twinge of irritation from Ginny. He winced, but kept walking. Something was wrong and he wanted to make sure he knew exactly what it was.

"Did you know about this." He asked Al as the Vice Admiral walked up. The older officer shook his head.

"They haven't told me anything, Mike." He looked concerned. "All I have is rumor and...I don't think I need to tell you that this isn't a typical situation."

"What do you mean, this?" Mike hissed. "We had a perfectly normal station until Star fleet decided that it would be fun to send us a group of Romulans lead by a Captain that no one decided to run a background check on." He glared at Al. "Don't you dare put this on Baker."

Before Al could respond the docking bay doors opened and a group of security officers stepped out, followed by Admiral Arguella. When he saw Mike, he frowned. "I thought I was going to meet you."

"And I want answers." Mike said. "Sir." He added when Oscar's eyes narrowed.

Oscar sighed. "I was hoping to do this with less of an audience." He glanced around. "This is confidential Starfleet intelligence and we can't have any guilty parties be aware that we're on to them." He said.

"On to them?" Mike shook his head. "What are you talking about-"

"There's been an attack."

Mike's stomach curled as he recognized the voice. Oh no. What was she doing here? He looked past Oscar.

"What sort of attack?" He asked.

* * *

Ginny's face burned as she focused on her work station. She had stepped out of line. Mike...no, Captain Lawson. She needed to remember to separate work and personal. Before this, she been good at it. All she did was just not have a personal life. This mess, this undeniable pull was too much to ignore. She wondered how her mother could ever have left. She and Mike barely knew each other and trying to avoid him for 4 days had been hell.

Blip slid over to her. "You going to tell me what the hell just happened?" He whispered. She shook her head. He was too damn perceptive. She looked back at him, keeping her expression neutral.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Mike ran over to our place blabbing about Romulan mating bonds. Then you guys both look like death for 4 days until this morning when he was glowing. Glowing, Gin. And you were fucking incandescent."

Ginny was about to respond when she was hit with a crippling feeling of pain, confusion and resentment. She gasped, clutching at her chest. Mike. She looked around the bridge. What was happening to him?

"Ginny?" Blip said, steadying her. She shook herself, pushing him off. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to think. She couldn't run to him, that would be too obvious and she was on duty. Plus he was probably meeting with the admiral. It could get him in trouble as well. She-

The doors to the bridge opened. Admiral Arguella came in, followed by a pale woman with red hair. Then came Mike. The second he walked on, his eyes locked with hers and he looked like he wanted to say something, but his eyes darted to the woman and he forced his entire body away from her. He followed the others into his ready room. Before the doors closed, the woman looked at Ginny. It was almost as though she was trying to see through her.

Something probed her mind. Ginny stared at her in shock. A betazoid?

"This isn't good." Blip murmured. The doors closed.

"Who is she?" Ginny asked, rubbing her temples.

"That's Rachel Patrick." Blip said. "She's a high inquisitor with Starfleet command..." He gave Ginny a pitying look. "And Mike's ex wife."


	13. Chapter 13

Mike's nervousness was compounded by Ginny's concerned anxiety. He tried to contain himself; Rachel was looking at him with curiosity, not a good sign. The last thing his personal life needed right now, was Rachel probing into it. He tried to shield his thoughts. She wouldn't purposely read his mind, but if he was projecting too loudly, she'd hear them. He focused on the issue at hand.

"What do you mean there's been an attack?"

"The venue for the peace talks." Rachel said. "We caught a Romulan spy leaving the venue. When he saw Federation security officers he detonated a bomb he'd placed in the podium, clearly hoping the blast would be big enough to take him and officers out." She winced. "It wasn't."

Mike's gut clenched. It was horrible...but why were they here?

"The president of the Federation was set to make a speech opening the talks." Oscar added. "This is an assassination attempt."

"But you caught the guy." The words sounded flat, even to his own ears. Rachel and Oscar were looking at him with pity and veiled irritation. "Let me guess." He said, sitting behind his desk. "There's more."

"He was Tal Shiar." Rachel said. The mention of the Romulan secret intelligence organization made Mike's stomach clench. She looked frustrated. "It was all I could get out of him before he used some type of hidden poison to commit suicide."

"So you're going to each place the delegation stopped to look for any more information?"

Rachel and Oscar gave him those looks again. Something was wrong; they were here for more than simple round of questions.

"There's reason to believe that the spy had help from someone inside this station."

Mike frowned. Someone inside this station? He had a suspicion, but he wanted them to confirm it. Rachel turned to the computer screen. Pressing a series of buttons, she turned. "Watch this." Mike's worst fears were realized. The screen showed what was clearly a station security video of the outside of the station's restaurant. The view of the inside showed Ginny, clearly visible, talking to the bartender. Suddenly the lead female member of the delegation. Mie couldn't remember her name, walked in. Ginny seemed defensive, but soon she got up and went to a side table with the Romulan. They were partially obscured from view, but... whatever they were talking about was clearly important. Ginny's body language was shifting from caged, to relaxed. What had this woman said to win her trust so easily?

Oscar and Rachel were looking at him. They were clearly waiting for him to condemn her; confirm their suspicions. "You think Ensign Baker's behind this."

"She has cause to be." Oscar said.

"What? Having 50 percent Romulan DNA makes her guilty?" Mike snapped.

Oscar sighed. Rachel pursed her lips, looking at him intently. He focused on keeping his mind blank.

"Look." He said, choosing his words. "I'm not just going to accuse one of my officers of treason without proof."

"You're awfully defensive of her, Captain Lawson." Oscar said. "How is it that after a few weeks, she gets this level of devotion from you?"

"I have no idea." Mike said flatly. "Clearly it must be Romulan mind control."

"Mike." Rachel admonished. "This is serious."

"I know." He growled, standing. "Which is why Starfleet command is probably eager for a conviction or someone to take the blame." He glared at the two of them. "And conveniently enough you just happen to have a half Romulan officer on this station that Command hasn't been comfortable with from the beginning." A silence fell. "You're forcing her to be a scapegoat for the sake of stopping people from panicking."

"It's more complicated than that, Mike." Rachel said.

"Oh." Mike growled. "Of course it is." He shook his head. "Wouldn't do for the Federation to be seen as prejudiced."

Oscar's eyes narrowed. Rachel crossed her arms.

"We need to maintain peace with the Klingons." Rachel said. Oscar shot her a look.

"The..." Mike shook his head. "The Klingons?" He shook his head. "What do the Klingons have to do with this?" Whatever it was, he didn't care. He wasn't about to let them arrest Ginny without proof. "If you want to question Ginny about her conversation with the Romulan delegate, you can, but I'm not going to let you-"

"Let us?" Oscar's voice was low. Mike closed his mouth. He was threatening a Starfleet admiral...what was he doing? He turned to Rachel. Her expression was closed off. While she didn't look happy, he figured she'd be easier to reason with. But before he could speak, she shook her head..

"We're not here to question her." She said. Mike's eyes widened. Surely not. "We're taking her into custody."

The words were barely out of her mouth before Mike was rushing across the room, out the doors to the bridge. He made it just in time to see two large security officers go over to Ginny's station. Sonny Evers blocked them.

"Orders from the admiral." One of the security officers grunted.

She was resigned. Mike felt it. No. She couldn't be serious. She had to fight this.

"I'll go." She said.

"Ginny." He murmured. She looked up and met his eyes, giving him a bracing smile. Then she was hidden from him by the security officers, taken off the bridge. He went to follow, but was stopped by Oscar.

"This is a matter for Starfleet Command now." He said.

Mike shook his head. "You can't just take an officer off my station without probable cause." He turned and looked at them. "Until you have proof of her guilt, you aren't taking her off the station."

"Lawson." Oscar growled. Rachel put a hand on his arm.

"She'll be held in the brig pending trial." She said, shooting Oscar a warning glance. Mike nodded, going to the turbo lift. Rachel followed him. Mike glared at her. "Mike, what aren't you telling me?" She asked as the doors closed.

He clenched his jaw. "She's not...she's not a secret assassin, Rach." He said.

"Mike you don't know her."

He jerked his head. "Why don't you just read her mind?" He snapped. "You can see she's innocent."

Rachel shook her head. "Romulan minds are more complex than humans'." She frowned and shook her head. "Besides, I tried to read her when I saw her on the bridge...she was blocking me." She shook her head. "She's hiding something, Mike." Her eyes narrowed. "And you are too."

He swallowed. "She's not a spy." He whispered. Rachel shook her head, sighing.

"Just be careful." She said. "You're not the best at..." She trailed off, ducking her gaze. Mike glared at her.

"At figuring out when people are lying to me?" He finished. "Thanks for the reminder, Rachel. Truly, I'd forgotten the last time you taught me that." He tried to feel Ginny over the connection. There was thinly veiled layer of panic mixed with shame. He let the pull between them guide him. He entered the brig. The security officer stood, but catching the look on Mike's face, he backed away.

Ginny was sitting on the cot in the brig, looking at her hands. She was trying to meditate, keep herself calm. Mike put his override code into the control panel. It buzzed and went red. He glared at the security officer.

"Admiral's orders." The man mumbled, not meeting Mike's eyes.

"Open." Mike growled. "This door."

The officer gulped and and did as he was ordered. Ginny didn't look up as he walked in but she shifted on the cot to allow him to sit. She was forcing her emotions down, trembling with the effort. This wasn't right. There were so many reasons why this wasn't right. He wanted to hold her, but they were being watched.

"Not exactly how I imagined this day going." She murmured. He let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a cry.

"Really?" He said. "I figured a troublemaker like you would be familiar with the inside of a cell." He winced as she finally lifted her head and looked at him. The pain in the depths of her eyes that was mirrored in the burning stab across their connection made him gasp.

"What do they think I did?" She asked. He ducked his head. There was no pretense. She already knew they were framing her. He looked ahead.

"A member of the Tal Shiar was caught rigging a bomb to assassinate the president of the Federation." He said. "They have footage of you talking to one of the delegation."

Ginny swallowed. "So they think I had something to do with it."

"It's bull." Mike said forcefully. Relief came from Ginny's end of the bond. He winced; she'd thought he believed them. "I mean...you'd literally be the worst spy ever." He shook his head. "They can't accuse you of something without proof, Baker. You're a Starfleet officer and a damn good one. Probably one of the best I've had under my command. You make me believe in what the Federation can be."

She didn't say anything. Warmth radiated from her as she moved her hand between them, placing it flat on the cot. Mike mirrored her, his hand next to hers, their fingers pressing against each other. It was the only contact they could allow themselves.


	14. Chapter 14

Ginny's court martial was the next day. Admiral Arguella had set up a Kangaroo court in the main restaurant on the promenade. Normally such proceedings were Starfleet only, but as it was an "emergency circumstance" the entire station was there. In fact, Mike was sure half the quadrant had shown up. He sat on the dais with Rachel, Oscar, and Al. Crossing his arms, he glared at the assembled crowd. A bunch of vultures, all hungry to see if the Romulan would break. As if they had a right to pass judgement on Ginny.

"Captain Lawson."

He looked over at Rachel. She was frowning. "Are we going to have a problem?"

"What do you mean?" He growled.

"We need impartial judges." She said.

"Well then all of you need to recuse yourselves." He snapped. "Because I'm pretty sure no one of Romulan heritage could ever get a fair trial from you."

"Lawson." Oscar warned. Mike was about to retort when a strange hush began from the back of the room. Ginny was being led in. The entire room looked at her approach with bated breath. She held her head up, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, exposing her ears and forehead to the crowd. She wasn't hiding.

* * *

Ginny walked into the hall. The whole station had turned up to see her in her misery, hoping to see her tried, beaten, humiliated. She wasn't going to let them win. In the back of her mind her father's voice ordered her; back straight, head high, never see you cry. Evelyn, Blip, and Cara were in the front row, each with varying degrees of worry and encouragement on their faces. Evelyn shot an angry look at the dais. Ginny sat in the accused's seat. Looking at the panel, she refused to let them see her betray any sort of fear.

"State your name for the record."

"Genevieve Baker." She replied.

"Species."

Ginny blinked in surprise. Around her, she heard the buzzing of the crowd as they shushed each other and jostled to lean in closer.

"That information is in her starfleet records." She glanced along the panel. Mike's jaw was clenched and he was glaring at Admiral Arguella. "Asking her is unnecessary and prejudicial."

"Captain Lawson." Rachel Patrick looked over at him. "Do we need to remind you that you are here as a courtesy. Unless you have a valid criticism, allow the proceedings to continue."

"You're turning opinion against her." Mike growled. "Her species has no bearing on this-"

"No bearing?" Admiral Arguella sounded annoyed. "A Romulan spy tries to assassinate the president of the Federation and you think that having a Romulan officer on the station where the delegation of spies stayed has no bearing-"

"She was no where near the attempt." Mike snapped. "And there is still no evidence that anyone else in the delegation had a role in this." He glared at the other officers. "I looked over the transcripts of the interviews. All of them consented to mind melds overseen by a betazoid. All found innocent." He leaned back in his chair. "This witch hunt is an attempt to find someone to blame because, even though the crazy person who did this acted alone, you need someone to drag through the streets." He glared at them. "So you've singled out my officer. You're right. Her species is important. It's important because it shows that she's being unfairly discriminated against."

Ginny felt his burning protectiveness over their bond. Her throat welled up. She'd never had someone stand up for her in the way he'd just done since her father died.

"Half Romulan." She said, turning the attention back to her. Mike looked at her in surprise. She made sure that he felt her gratitude before continuing. "Half human." She tilted her head. "Not that anyone in here didn't already know that."

Mike seemed to bite back a laugh as everyone around them seemed taken aback. Evelyn, however, had less restraint. Ginny heard her whisper. "That's my girl." Mutters broke out around the audience.

"Ensign Baker, you stand accused of treason against the Federation." Admiral Arguella said, his voice loud so that everyone quieted down. "What is your relationship with Ambassador Son'ra?"

Ginny swallowed, feeling heat rise to her face. Looking straight ahead, she murmured. "She's my aunt."

There was a collective gasp, but it was nothing Ginny wasn't prepared for. What shocked her was the surprise that emanated from Mike. She hadn't told him about Son'ra.

"Your mother's sister." Rachel said. It wasn't a question, they already knew. But if what Mike had said was true, then she didn't have anything to worry about. Son'ra hadn't done anything wrong...had she?

"Yes." She replied.

"Your mother was in fact the mate of a Romulan captain who is currently in custody of the Federation." Admiral Arguella said.

Ginny glared at him. "He's in custody because he tried to rape me." She said. "I don't see-"

"The accused will be silent until she is asked to answer a question." Admiral Arguella snapped. Ginny clenched her fists. "The Tal Shiar agent could not have acted alone. Perhaps that attack was strategic. Perhaps you wanted to establish a rift between yourself and the Romulan delegation in order to avert suspicion when the assassination took place."

"That's enough." Mike growled. Everyone gasped. Mike seemed to remember himself, because he ducked his head. "I just meant-"

"Let's stick to the facts." Rachel cut him off. Ginny was surprised to see that she was frowning at Admiral Arguella. Clearly she hadn't appreciated the Admiral's question either. "I think we've had enough for one day. The accused can be returned to her cell-"

"Actually." Mike interrupted. "I checked Starfleet regulations and it seems that until guilt has been established, if the head of security of the station has no objections, she can be held in her quarters, rather than a cell." He motioned behind Ginny. Amelia stepped forward, her hands clasped behind her back. "This is Lieutenant Commander Slater, my chief of security." He looked over at Amelia. "Any objections, Lieutenant Commander?"

"None." Amelia's face was stone, taking the scrutiny of the panel unflinchingly. The Admiral seemed annoyed and Rachel...Rachel was looking over at Mike. He seemed slightly ill, keeping his eyes on Ginny.

"Well then." He said. "Please escort Ensign Baker to her quarters."

"Miss Baker." Admiral Arguella corrected. Ginny's heart stopped. "Until such a time as we've proved her innocent, her Starfleet commission has been suspended."

The walls closed in on her. Ginny heard a ringing in her ears. Behind her, Evelyn was shouting. Mike was glaring at him. Livan was cursing in SpanishEven Amelia betrayed emotion in the form of a vein jumping in her neck. She was pulled up to her feet. Dimly she registered moving as she was marched out of the room. Amelia led her to her quarters. The doors closed behind her. She stumbled numbly to her couch, sitting and looking around her room.

Suspended.

Everything she'd worked her entire life for. Everything she'd suffered. Everything she'd sacrificed, that her mother and father had sacrificed. It was over. She'd lost it all.


	15. Chapter 15

The door chimed. She already knew who was on the other side without looking. She could feel him. His anxiety, his apprehension...there was anger too, but not directed at her. "Come in." She managed to choke out, shocked by the relief that rushes through her as the doors opened and Mike stepped through. She clamped down on the impulse to run to him. Staying on her couch she waited for him to cross the room to her.

"So. How's the sharpening of the pitchforks?" She murmured. Mike closed his eyes as he sat next to her.

"That's not funny." He mumbled.

"You need to find humor in it." She murmured. "Otherwise you'll...realize." Her voice warbled. "That no matter how hard you try. How well you do. How..." She shut her eyes, feeling the hopelessness swallow her. "They never see past the outside. All you ever are is a Romulan and all your work doesn't matter." She hadn't realized she was shaking until Mike's arm came around her shoulders. She settled against him, pressing her face into his neck taking comfort in the way his skin cooled her. She could feel his frustration at not being able to help her. "I was always worried this would be taken from me." She gasped out against the tightness in her chest. "But now that it has..."

Mike didn't say anything, but she felt something on his side of the bond. He was suppressing his feelings...and trying to take on hers. Trying to alleviate her burden while ignoring his own needs.

"Mike." She murmured.

"Shhhh." He whispered. "Let me help you..." He squeezed his eyes shut, his muscles tensing with the effort. "Let me understand."

"I've never let anyone in before." Ginny murmured. "Not really." She ached to. Every fiber in her being made her want to break down the walls she'd set against the world. She listened to him breathe, slowly letting her defenses down. "She only mentioned her once." She whispered. "It was an accident. My mom never talked about her time on Romulus. But one day, Will and I got into a fight over something stupid and I guess she was having a bad day because she just...snapped and told us we should be grateful for the time we had now with our siblings because we never know when it'll be the last time we see them." She shook her head. "That was it. I never even knew my aunt's name until she talked to me that day."

Mike nodded. "They don't have anything concrete."

"Do you think that matters." Ginny snorted, the un-amused sound harsh in the stillness of the room. She suddenly realized how it would look if he were here too long. That she wasn't allowed this comfort because as much as she wanted...no, needed it...she might compromise Mike's career. "You should go."

It was his turn to let out a bark of fake laughter. "I see what you mean about finding the humor, because that's crazy talk."

"I mean it." Ginny said. "You can't be here. The entire station probably thinks you're not impartial...the other members of the inquiry already do."

"Fuck them."

"Mike." She looked up at him. "You can't compromise your career over me, I'm not-"

"If you finish that sentence, I'll-"

"We both know I'm right." Ginny pulled away from him, moving off the couch. Needing to get away from him. His presence made her hazy and she was liable to let him convince her she was wrong if she stayed close. "Even if I wasn't...what I am-"

"Who you are is why I don't give a damn what others think." Mike growled, standing up. "It's my starfleet career. I decide how I want to sink it and if-

"You'll never be promoted." Ginny said, putting a hand up to block his advance. He stopped, keeping his distance. "You'll be an outcast and you can't ask me to agree to let you ruin your life for me."

"Ginny." He said.

"Captain I think you need to leave." Her use of his title made any hope he'd had of convincing her die. His shoulders slumped. He looked tired, worn.

"Don't do this again." He was begging her. "We're both scared and-"

"And if you get thrown off the inquiry board then there'll be no one left to stand up for me." She turned her back to him. She could feel he was hurt. His heart was breaking, just as hers was. He turned.

"I'm going to fight for you. And then when this is over, because there's no way in hell, I'm going to let them ruin your life for nothing..." He broke off. Ginny felt the strength of his determination and let it give her hope. Swallowing, she waited, listening to him walk towards the door and hearing them slide open.

"Thank you." She whispered, hearing Mike's breath catch as he froze. She didn't dare turn around.

"There's no need to." He murmured before walking out. Ginny jumped as the doors closed, leaving her alone with her fears.


	16. Chapter 16

Mike walked away from Ginny's quarters with only one thought in mind. Get Ginny out of this. His best option was to go directly to the threat. He took a deep breath. He didn't want to. Hell, she'd tried to force her way into his head during the proceedings and no doubt she suspected that his connection to Ginny was more than simply Captain and Ensign. But he had no choice. He had to get her free. Walking towards her quarters, he took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. They opened. Rachel looked up at him.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to come." She said, standing aside.

Mike walked in, ignoring the feeling that he was on his way to his beheading. Slowly he focused on keeping Ginny out. She had bigger things to worry about than his emotional shit. "What's really going on, Rach?" He said. "Baker's a good officer and we both know Starfleet command has nothing against her."

Rachel examined him. He braced himself for a mental intrusion, but none came. "Something's changed about you, Mike." She said.

"This isn't about me." He sighed.

"Isn't it?" Rachel said. "Because I'm getting the sense that whatever has to do with Ginny has to do with you too."

Mike shut his eyes. "Answer my question." He said.

Rachel shook her head. "Well." She said, motioning to chairs. "Perhaps you should sit down."

Mike shook his head. "Just tell me."

Rachel looked nervous. "Don't be mad." She said. "But...there's a lot of concern about how the attack will affect peace with the Klingons."

Mike's eyes narrowed. "This is the second time I've heard someone mention Klingons."

"Because our alliance with them is tenuous at best." She glanced around. "You don't...look. This is more than just Ginny. If it means peace in the quadrant-"

"Peace?" Mike snapped.

"Mike."

"How is what we have with the Romulans peace?" He growled. "We have a neutral zone that we arm against them with and when we clash innocents have their lives destroyed."

"You love her." Rachel interrupted. "It's clouding your ability to see the bigger picture. There is no neutral zone between us and the Klingons. And we have a better chance of defending ourselves against Romulan attack with them in our corner."

Mike shook his head. "What the hell happened to you, Rach?" He asked. "This...war talk. It isn't you."

Rachel arched an eyebrow. "Mike, don't be naive. You never wanted anything more than to fly around space being a hero and look what it got you. You're stuck on some inconsequential space station. I'm in a position to make real decisions. Because I wanted more."

Mike glared at her. "You think you make real decisions?" He growled. "I've actually seen combat. I've seen what happens during war while you were sitting in Starfleet command screwing that medical officer." He shook his head. "You're willing to sacrifice your morals for some imagined greater good that you don't know exists."

Rachel shut her eyes. "Mike."

"Don't..." He said. "Ginny is good. She's fought her whole life to be where she is and every step of the way she's been blocked because of what she is." He backed away. "You know, I love the Federation, but this...this isn't the organization I enlisted in."

Rachel shut her eyes. "She's not convicted yet." She murmured. "I know you don't believe me, but I actually don't want her to go to prison." She glanced around before sending him a mental message. Section 31.

Mike shivered. Before he could respond Rachel was pushing him out of the door. "Be careful, Mike." She said. "She has enemies she isn't even aware of yet."

He jumped as the doors to Rachel's quarters closed. Section 31. He felt the blood pounding in his ears. Walking through the station, he could feel Ginny's worry at his emotional state. He tried shutting her out. Section 31. Every person he passed seemed to be judging him, assessing him, measuring to see if he was a threat.

Section 31. They were in danger, but...he wasn't sure who he could trust anymore. Unless Rachel wasn't telling the truth. But why would she lie about something like this?

He rang the bell. Amelia opened her door. "Captain?" She looked confused.

"Ginny's in big trouble." He looked around. "We all are. Meet me in shuttlebay 2, get Ginny there."

"Captain, she-"

"That's an order, Lieutenant Commander." He snapped.

Amelia arched an eyebrow. She was an excellent officer, but he was sure her loyalty to this crew would over ride her need to follow rules...at least he hoped, because otherwise he'd just gambled with Ginny's survival and lost.

Amelia nodded, and he swore he saw a slight smile tease at the corner of her mouth. "Yes Captain."


	17. Chapter 17

Ginny jumped out of bed. Someone had entered her quarters. She hadn't been sleeping; Mike's horrified burst of panic about 20 minutes had tied her stomach in knots.

"It's only me, Ensign Baker." Amelia's voice rang.

"Lights." Ginny said, the light flooding the interior of the room. She walked out into the outer room. "It's not Ensign anymore." She muttered. What was Amelia doing here? Had something gone wrong? Had the council decided to imprison her after all?

Amelia remained expressionless. "Get dressed." She said. "I'm moving you." She must have read the alarm in Ginny's eyes because she added. "Captain's orders."

"No." Ginny said, backing away. "Mike can't." He wasn't going to lose his career over her. She wouldn't allow it. Amelia rolled her eyes before reaching out a hand. Before Ginny could so much as draw a breath, Amelia's hand was on her shoulder. An electric shock went through her, making her feel weak. Ginny's leg buckled beneath her and blackness swallowed her up as she approached the floor.

* * *

She came to, lying on a bunk. Looking around, she sat up, ready to defend herself.

"Easy." Mike was sitting across from her. He came loser, holding out his hands. "You're okay."

"Mike." She looked around. "What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, this was the only place I could think off you'd be safe."

She shook her head. "Safe?" She looked around. It didn't sound like she was on the station anymore. "Is this a shuttlecraft?" She asked. Mike nodded. "Mike, if I don't show up to the hearings-"

"You mean showtrial." Mike interrupted. Ginny glared at him. As if she didn't know what was happening.

"I know this is new for you." She snapped. "But you can't just remove me from the station without my consent-"

"I didn't want you to be unconscious." Mike glared over his shoulder. "Amelia needs to learn boundaries." He muttered. "There's more going on here than you realize."

"Oh." She said. "You mean that they finally found the excuse to get rid of the Romulan?" She looked at the ceiling. "I had no idea that was their angle." She glared at him. "You are so-"

"Section 31." Mike's expression remained blank. He was affecting calm. Ginny gaped at him.

"You kidnapped me because of a ghost story told to frighten new recruits."

"I put you in protective custody." Mike said. "Because of the very real threat against you."

Ginny shivered. "Section 31 is fake."

Mike shook his head. "They're real." He dropped his head. He looked tired, drawn. "What I'm about to tell you, I haven't told anyone. At least..." He hesitated. "Not out loud." He meant Rachel. Ginny sat up straighter. This wasn't a joke, he was terrified. "After...I saved that freighter, I was approached by a man. He was an assistant to one of the Admirals...he introduced himself as Charlie..."

Ginny's pulse hammered in her ears.

"He wanted to discuss how my skills could properly be used to better the position of the federation in the quadrant. He was..." Mike exhaled. "I refused him, but then...weird things started happening. I started getting the feeling that I was being watched. People I'd never met before would stop me on the street and asked me about personal details I had never shared with anyone. Things that weren't even in my Starfleet file...then Charlie showed up again. He gave me the same offer, except this time, he made it clear that my career as an officer would be impacted if I didn't accept. I was ontrack to be considered to Captain the flagship. But then I turned him down and the next day I was deemed too volatile to captain a starship and sent here." He gave Ginny a bitter smile. "Section 31 isn't a myth. They're real and they screwed up my life." He looked at her. "I'm not going to let it screw up yours. They want to use you to make sure that relations with the Romulans never get better and that way the Klingons never have to worry about the Federation achieving peace with the Romulans."

Ginny felt cold.

Mike put his hand on her arm. "I had this shuttlecraft checked over for any outside interference. It was in case they came for me..."

"So we're running?" Ginny asked. It wasn't a completely horrible suggestion. He came up behind her. He took in a breath, no doubt sensing Ginny's agreement towards the plan.

"No." Mike said. "We're going to make sure they never come near you again." He lead her out of the room into the main shuttlecraft area. The viewscreen showed the station looming in front of them. "Your friend Livan is hiding this shuttle from station scanner from ops. He, Blip, and Sonny are going to switch off on shifts."

She nodded. "And the hearing."

"I'll take care of that." Mike murmured. "Just as soon as-" They both broke off as a transmission came in.

"Bridge to Captain Lawson." It was Livan.

"Duarte." Mike growled. "I told you never to make contact with the shuttle-"

"Unless it was an emergency." Livan interrupted. Mikes eyes widened. Ginny could feel him bristle with annoyance at the blatant disrespect and she bit back her amusement. Livan's next words made that easy. "Which it is. Someone's trying to beam on to the shuttlecraft."

As he spoke a beam of light began shining in the corner of the shuttlecraft. Mike pulled Ginny behind him. She barely had time to register irritation at his chauvinistic action when a man materialized in front of them. He was pale with light brown almost reddish hair and a plump face. If he hadn't just materialized through the shields, Ginny wouldn't have thought he was intimidating. In fact, he gave off the air of someone who no one ever gave a second look.

"So." The stranger tilted his head, looking at Ginny. "Escaping justice, are we?"

"I'm innocent." Ginny said.

"Well, you certainly don't look innocent." He said. "Hiding on a shuttlecraft parked in a pocket in the resonance of the station shields to be impervious to scanners." He looked at Mike. "But then Lawson was always predictable."

"Charlie, you can't do this to her." Mike growled.

"This is Charlie?" Ginny asked, surprised. "I thought he'd be...taller."

Charlie arched an eyebrow. Mike looked over his shoulder in exasperated amusement. "Gin, don't provoke the evil secret agent." He said.

* * *

Mike swore she was doing this on purpose to shave years off his life. His suspicions were confirmed Ginny pushed around him, going straight up to Charlie. Her eyes were flashing as she squared her shoulders and glared him down. Charlie's expression went from aloof to disgust at her being close.

"What gives you the right to imprison me for something I didn't do." She snapped.

Charlie stared down his nose at her before turning his attention to Mike. "It will not speak to me like that."

Mike felt a stab of white hot anger. Ginny, however, seemed calm. Mike realized it was because she was used to it. She'd even expected it. "That's why you're so willing to condemn her." He croaked, his voice sounding hoarse. "You hate Romulans."

"Oh wake up, Lawson." Charlie rolled his eyes. "It's not me who hates Romulans, but the entire Federation. Look how quickly they turned on it when it was suspected of connection to terrorism."

"I'll-" Mike lunged forward, completely intent on punching his lights out when Ginny blocked his path.

"You planted the bomb, didn't you." She whispered.

"It is smart." Charlie said. "Yes, Romulan, I planted the bomb and the assassin."

Mike tried to push past Ginny, but she held him fast. "You bastard." He growled. "You deliberately sabotaged my officer and for what? Your own prejudices?"

"Not mine, the Federation." Charlie shouted back. "Or ask your little girlfriend how kindly everyone has treated her her entire life. The federation simply isn't ready to accept Romulans and I pointed that out to them." He glared. "And it all would have gone according to plan had the operative not detonated the bomb too early."

"People could have died." Ginny's voice was quiet.

"And then we wouldn't be here." He said. "You'd have been drawn and quartered in the center of the station."

Mike's fingers twitched towards his phaser. He was going to hurt Charlie, secret murderous intelligence agency be damned. Ginny's arm was like a steel bar, blocking him from moving forward.

"You got that Livan?" She asked.

"Every word, Mami." Duarte's face appeared on the view screen. He looked smug, leaning against the back of his chair at the security station. "And so did they." He thumbed over his shoulder. Mike looked and behind Duarte to see Rachel and Admiral Arguella looking at the screen with shock. Mike looked down at Ginny. She grinned.

"Captain, I believe you can arrest this man for crimes against the Federation."

He loved her. Ginny sucked in a breath, she must have felt it over the bond. Well, he wasn't going to hide this from her. He gave her a small grin before looking at the screen. "Admiral, I'm bringing him back to the station, I assume all charges against Ensign Baker will be dropped and her position on the station reinstated." He said.

Admiral Arguella nodded. Joy hit him full force from Ginny along with gratitude. She looked up at him, smiling. "Thank you." She mouthed, but he wasn't done.

"And I want you to issue her an official public apology." He growled. "That way it's on the public record and Command won't hold anything from this investigation against her."

"Yes, Captain Lawson." Admiral Arguella said slowly. Mike glared at Charlie.

"Lieutenant Commander Slater." He said.

"Yes Captain." Amelia said.

"I'm beaming three over." Mike smirked. "You're going to have a new resident in the brig."

Amelia didn't even blink. "I'm...to borrow a human expression, looking forward to it, Captain."

He shut off the transmission. "Ready to beam ov- ummm" Ginny's body hit him full force, her lips crashing against his. He gripped her, lifting her off the ground, unsure when the next time would be, but he'd be damned if he didn't show her just how much she meant to him.

She pulled back first. Mike felt lightheaded. "Bridge." She said, smiling and pecking him on the cheek. "3 to beam over."


	18. Chapter 18

Ginny exited the conference room, feeling sick. Mike was waiting, oh so casually chatting with Blip and Livan, but his outward demeanor didn't match the worry Ginny knew was simmering beneath the surface. He wasn't fooling everyone if he was being civil to Livan. She smiled at them as she approached.

"Everything okay?" Mike looked behind her to where Admiral Arguella, Vice Admiral Luongo and Inquisitor Patrick walked out behind her.

"Yes." Rachel spoke first. "We just had a conversation with Lieutenant Baker about her future in Starfleet."

Mike's jaw dropped as he looked at her collar. The new pip indicating her change in rank was clear against the black fabric. "Lieutenant." He breathed, his pride making her stomach clench. Ginny gave him a grim smile.

"Junior grade." She corrected. He gave her a curious look, but couldn't ask her about the specifics. Their bond wasn't official knowledge yet.

"Well." Al put his hand on her shoulder. "I have no doubt she'll be climbing the ranks pretty soon." He smirked at Mike. "You're next."

Mike tore his eyes away from her and nodded before following them into the conference room.

"We're going to throw you a party, Mami." Livan threw his arm around her shoulder. "Evelyn's already planning the food, I've got the music and Cara is bartending." He grinned. "Taking down a secret agent, like a boss." He began leading her away from the door. Ginny planted her feet, unwilling to leave Mike. Livan's brow furrowed. Blip sighed, clearly understanding what was holding her back.

"The captain will be fine, Lieutenant." He jerked his head down the hall. "I'll bring him to the party when he's done."

Livan pulled her forward, and Ginny let him, sending Mike reassurance as she left.

Evelyn and Cara were bustling in the Sanders' quarters when they entered. Evelyn grinned.

"Lieutenant." She waved her over. "I need your taste buds."

"Bad idea, Ev." Cara smirked. "You might not have food for the party left if you let her near it." Evelyn snorted.

"Romulans have higher metabolisms." Ginny grumbled, trying to get into the swing of bantering with her friends. Evelyn and Cara shared a look. Evelyn sighed dramatically.

"I'm a doctor and I resent the fact that my profession backs you up." She turned back to the stove in front of her. "Now sit here and don't touch anything." She grinned. "Lieutenant."

"Junior grade." Ginny corrected. She didn't want people making a big deal out of this, but she knew this party wasn't only about her, but her friends needing a reprieve. So she smiled and greeted Sonny, Sal, and their families as they walked in. Omar was next, then Butch. Almost 3 hours had passed and she was beginning to get worried. Where was Mike? Was he being punished? Had they dismissed him? She needed to get out of the party, she felt stifled enough as it was.

Cara slid up next to her. "Evelyn's busy talking Charisma Evers." She whispered. "There are two kids playing in front of the door. If you make a run for it now, people will assume one of the kids accidentally opened the door and won't come looking for you." She winked. Ginny whispered a grateful 'thank you' before sneaking out the door. As they closed, she let out a breath of relief. Now all she had to do was find Mike.

She closed her eyes, focusing on the bond, expecting it to lead her back to the conference room. Instead she found herself going to the bridge. The bridge crew ignored her. She walked over to his ready room, hesitating, her fingers hovering over the bell. Suddenly the doors opened. Ginny jumped back, looking at Mike. He glanced behind her before saying.

"I was on my way to the party, I just..." He trailed off.

"It was a bit loud." She murmured. "And...the person I wanted to see wasn't there."

Mike seemed surprised at her honesty. Motioning towards the exit of the bridge, he waited for her to make the first move. She walked towards the turbolift, Mike close behind her. They entered the small space, the two of them hyperaware of each other. Ginny's skin felt tight. She closed her eyes, letting out a breath. Mike was cool next to her, but she could feel him. both next to her and through the bond.

"Deck 16." She croaked out. Mike arched an eyebrow.

"The Sanders live on deck 23." He commented. Ginny looked over at him. Had she misunderstood? No, she could feel a flicker of hope over the bond. It was almost as though he couldn't believe that he'd been lucky enough to have her want her.

"I live on deck 16." She said, making sure there was no doubt as to what she wanted from him. She leaned against the side of the turbolift as she was hit by Mike's excitement, needing the wall to steady her. Breathing in deeply, she met his heated gaze, matching him for intensity. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

"In that case." He said, his voice low. He looked up at the ceiling. "Deck 28." He glanced over at her. "My quarters."

She nodded. "What, Captain unwilling to slum it in a crewman's quarters?"

Mike stepped closer, the corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "There's no one around my quarters, Ginny. So even if the soundproofing isn't enough for your ears, there's nothing around for you to hear."

She swallowed, her heart warmed as she realized he'd remembered. He pressed his forehead against hers. They were so close. Just-

The turbo lift slowed. Ginny could hear someone on the other side of the door. She stepped back, looking forward. The doors opened on them. She looked the picture of professionalism. The same could not be said for Mike. He was flushed. Ginny decided to step out first, nodding at the person who walked onto the turbolift. Mike followed quickly behind her, ducking his head.

"Embarrassed to be seen with me?" She asked as they walked down the corridor. Mike pulled her against him.

"Not quite." He growled, grinding his hips against her ass. Ginny's eyes widened as she froze. Mike was hard and big against her. "Let's just say these Starfleet uniforms leave very little to the imagination." He pressed his lips to the tip of her ear. "I'd never be embarrassed of you." He groaned, shuddering as he pulled away from her. The bond was making it difficult for them to move away from each other. She felt free, powerful.

Mike was walking down the hall towards his quarters. Ginny pressed against Mike as he input the code for his quarters. Nuzzling his neck, she licked her lips before running her hands down his sides. Mike hit the wrong button and the panel buzzed.

"Ginny." He said through gritted teeth. She put her hands around his waist, slipping one in his pants.

"Are you really annoyed?" She whispered, pressing her lips against his neck. He wasn't. She knew it and he knew it. Mike looked down at her.

"I'd have never thought you had this side." He remarked, shivering as her hand encircled him. He felt thick, heavy against her palm.

"I don't let people see it." She whispered. It was true, but around Mike she didn't need to worry about being judged. She could feel the respect, the care, the love he had for her. She could be open with him. Mike managed to open the door. He pulled her in before pressing his lips to hers. They kissed, this one different from the one they'd shared on the shuttle. That one had been hurried. They had time now. Mike put his hands on the side of her face, gently sliding his tongue into her mouth, exploring her. Ginny shut her eyes, leaning against him, fisting her hands in his uniform shirt before pulling it over his head.

It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. The connection between her and Mike made her secure. He made her feel wanted. And for the first time in her life she didn't feel like she needed to justify her difference. This thing between them, this bond, came from her Romulan side. While it had taken so much and cost so much over the years, it had also given her Mike.

Mike, who had carried so much anger and pain inside him. Who'd been hurt and had closed himself off. He'd opened up for her.

She threw her head back as Mike's hips rocked, stroking in and out of her. She gripped his shoulders, her legs squeezing around his waist, trying to take more of him. She felt the hum of the station, the scratch of Starfleet regulation sheets, Mike's sweat mingling with hers. She flipped them, pushing her hair back. He exhaled in surprise, looking up at her in awe. For a second she was worried that she'd scared him; the few times she'd had sex her partners hadn't liked her using her strength in bed.

Mike gripped her hips, desire exploding over the bond, making her gasp. Mike let her set the pace, following her as she rose and fell above him.

* * *

"Wow." He gasped out as she curled around him, feeling boneless. She was sated and content physically and emotionally. She kissed his shoulder. "Not bad..." He smirked as Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Lieutenant."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Junior grade." She knew Mike was happy for her, but that didn't mean she was. Mike frowned, trying to look down at her.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I-" Ginny ducked her eyes. "They didn't give me the promotion because I earned it." She sighed. "They gave it to me because they felt guilty."

Mike looked at her. "So what?" He said. "I looked over your academy records, Baker. You deserved to serve on a major starship, not this station at the end of the galaxy." He pressed his face against her neck, tickling her skin with his beard. "So take the promotion. Frankly, the fact that you still want to be a part of Starfleet after all they put you through is..." He shook his head. "You kinda blow me away." He kissed her eyebrow, running a finger along the point of her ear. She shivered, her hips arching up.

Mike groaned. "Already?"

"Not up for it, Captain?" She teased. "Because if you need to take a power nap, old man, I'll completely understa-" Mike rolled on top of her, silencing her with teasing by kissing her.

"Keep being insubordinate, Lieutenant." He growled, going for another kiss. Ginny pulled away.

"What did they want to talk to you about?" She asked. Mike sighed.

"Transferring my command." He said. Panic curled in Ginny's gut. Was he leaving? Mike pulled up, looking her straight in the eyes. "I'm perfectly happy right here." He wound his fingers in her hair. "i'm not going anywhere."


End file.
